ärgertvsärgerteConfusable pair

Which to use

“ärgert” and “ärgerte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#10,786
“ärgert” frequency rank
#34,475
“ärgerte” frequency rank
45261
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ärgert ärgerte
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs ärgern 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs ärgern

Where the eye mixes ärgert and ärgerte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ärgert runs 6 letters (VCCVCC) against ärgerte's 7 (VCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
ärgert
7 ch
ärgerte

Look-alike desk: ärgert vs ärgerte

A purely visual mix-up. ärgert ([ˈɛʁɡɐt]) and ärgerte ([ˈɛʁɡɐtə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “ärgert” sits inside “ärgerte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45261, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ärgert is recorded at frequency rank #10,786, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɛʁɡɐt]. 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 45261, this pair ranks #1,359,090 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ärgert vs ärgerte

Shared letters: egrtä. Private to "ärgert": -. Private to "ärgerte": -.

"ärgert" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "ärgerte" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ärgert" and "ärgerte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɛʁɡɐt] versus [ˈɛʁɡɐtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "ärgert" or "ärgerte" show up more?
"ärgert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,786 in our German list, against #34,475 for "ärgerte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "ärgert" and "ärgerte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "ärgert" 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 #1,359,090 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ärgert" and "ärgerte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ärgerte vs ärmere". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,359,090 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list