Which to use
“Achter” is a noun and “achtete” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,146
- “Achter” frequency rank
- #43,688
- “achtete” frequency rank
- 61834
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Achter | achtete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Ziffer 8 oder etwas, das die Ziffer 8 trägt (zum Beispiel ein Sportler mit der Trikotnummer 8) | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs achten |
Where the eye mixes Achter and achtete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Achter vs achtete
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Achter is [ˈaxtɐ] while achtete is [ˈaxtətə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61834, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Achter is recorded at frequency rank #18,146, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaxtɐ]. achtete is at rank #43,688, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaxtətə].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 61834, this pair ranks #734,945 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Achter vs achtete
Shared letters: aceht. Private to "Achter": r. Private to "achtete": -.
"Achter" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "achtete" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Achter" and "achtete" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Achter" vs "achtete" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Achter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "achtete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #734,945 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Achter" and "achtete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "achtel vs achtete". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #734,945 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.