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 spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Ärger and ärgerte apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
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
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Ärger" and "ärgerte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Ärger" or "ärgerte"?
Remembering Ärger vs ärgerte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Ärger”; for a verb, it's “ärgerte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Ärger” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable