Which to use
“arbeitete” is an unknown and “arbeiteten” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,424
- “arbeitete” frequency rank
- #8,823
- “arbeiteten” frequency rank
- 12247
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | arbeitete | arbeiteten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv von arbeiten | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs arbeiten |
Where the eye mixes arbeitete and arbeiteten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. arbeitete runs 9 letters (VCCVVCVCV) against arbeiteten's 10 (VCCVVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: arbeitete vs arbeiteten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: arbeitete is [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tətə] while arbeiteten is [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tətn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “arbeitete” sits inside “arbeiteten”, and the parts of speech differ too (unknown vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12247, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
arbeitete is recorded at frequency rank #3,424, classified as anunknown, pronounced [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tətə]. 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 12247, this pair ranks #1,965,336 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of arbeitete vs arbeiteten
Shared letters: abeirt. Private to "arbeitete": -. Private to "arbeiteten": n.
"arbeitete" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCVCV · "arbeiteten" · 10 letters · shape VCCVVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- arbeitete ← abreitete · arbbeitete · arbeiette · arbeiteet · arbeitette · arbeittee · arbeittete · arbetiete
- arbeiteten ← abreiteten · arbbeiteten · arbeietten · arbeiteetn · arbeitetenn · arbeitetne · arbeitetten · arbeitteen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "arbeitete" and "arbeiteten" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "arbeitete" vs "arbeiteten" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "arbeitete" 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 #1,965,336 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "arbeitete" and "arbeiteten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Arbeiters vs arbeitete". 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 #1,965,336 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.