Which to use
“arbeiten” and “arbeiteten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #348
- “arbeiten” frequency rank
- #8,823
- “arbeiteten” frequency rank
- 9171
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | arbeiten | arbeiteten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | geistig oder körperlich tätig sein, zielstrebig handeln, um so ein Ergebnis zu erzielen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs arbeiten |
Where the eye mixes arbeiten and arbeiteten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. arbeiten runs 8 letters (VCCVVCVC) against arbeiteten's 10 (VCCVVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: arbeiten vs arbeiteten
A purely visual mix-up. arbeiten ([ˈaʁbaɪ̯tn̩]) and arbeiteten ([ˈaʁbaɪ̯tətn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9171, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
arbeiten is recorded at frequency rank #348, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tn̩]. arbeiteten is at rank #8,823, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tətn̩].
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 9171, this pair ranks #1,981,167 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of arbeiten vs arbeiteten
Shared letters: abeinrt. Private to "arbeiten": -. Private to "arbeiteten": -.
"arbeiten" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC · "arbeiteten" · 10 letters · shape VCCVVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- arbeiten ← abreiten · arbbeiten · arbeietn · arbeitenn · arbeitne · arbeitten · arbetien · arbieten
- arbeiteten ← abreiteten · arbbeiteten · arbeietten · arbeiteetn · arbeitetenn · arbeitetne · arbeitetten · arbeitteen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "arbeiten" for "arbeiteten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "arbeiten" or "arbeiteten" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "arbeiten" and "arbeiteten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "arbeiten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "arbeiteten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,981,167 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "arbeiten" and "arbeiteten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "arbeiten vs Arbeiters". 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 #1,981,167 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.