Which to use
“Ärger” is a noun and “ärgerte” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,498
- “Ärger” frequency rank
- #34,475
- “ärgerte” frequency rank
- 37973
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ärger | ärgerte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | spontane, innere, emotionale Reaktion hochgradiger Unzufriedenheit auf eine Situation, eine Person oder eine Erinnerung, die der Verärgerte lieber anders gesehen hätte | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs ärgern |
Where the eye mixes Ärger and ärgerte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Ärger runs 5 letters (VCCVC) against ärgerte's 7 (VCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Ärger with ärgerte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Ärger is [ˈɛʁɡɐ] while ärgerte is [ˈɛʁɡɐtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Ärger” sits inside “ärgerte”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37973, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ärger is recorded at frequency rank #3,498, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛʁɡɐ]. ärgerte is at rank #34,475, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈɛʁɡɐtə].
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 37973, this pair ranks #1,576,207 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ärger vs ärgerte
Shared letters: egrä. Private to "Ärger": -. Private to "ärgerte": t.
"Ärger" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "ärgerte" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Ärger" and "ärgerte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Ärger" or "ärgerte"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ärger" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ärgerte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,576,207 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ärger" and "ärgerte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ärgerte vs ärmere". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,576,207 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.