bildenvsbildetenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#1,625
“bilden” frequency rank
#7,158
“bildeten” frequency rank
8783
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bilden bildeten
Definition etwas zustande kommen, entstehen lassen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs bilden

Where the eye mixes bilden and bildeten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. bilden runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against bildeten's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
bilden
8 ch
bildeten

Look-alike desk: bilden vs bildeten

A purely visual mix-up. bilden ([ˈbɪldn̩]) and bildeten ([ˈbɪldətn̩]) 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 8783, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bilden is recorded at frequency rank #1,625, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈbɪldn̩]. bildeten is at rank #7,158, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈbɪldətn̩].

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 8783, this pair ranks #1,982,859 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of bilden vs bildeten

Shared letters: bdeiln. Private to "bilden": -. Private to "bildeten": t.

"bilden" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "bildeten" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bilden ← bbilden · bidlen · bildden · bildenn · bildne · biledn · billden · bliden
  • bildeten ← bbildeten · bidleten · bilddeten · bildeetn · bildetenn · bildetne · bildetten · bildteen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bilden" and "bildeten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbɪldn̩] versus [ˈbɪldətn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "bilden" vs "bildeten" - which ranks higher?
"bilden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,625 in our German list, against #7,158 for "bildeten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "bilden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "bildeten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,982,859 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "bilden" and "bildeten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Bildchen vs bildeten". 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 #1,982,859 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