brüllenvsbrüllteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,053
“brüllen” frequency rank
#45,191
“brüllte” frequency rank
60244
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature brüllen brüllte
Definition mit lauter, (oft) unkontrollierter Stimme in tieferer Tonlage erregt äußern; meist aggressiv 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs brüllen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set brüllen and brüllte apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
brüllen
7 ch
brüllte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. brüllen ([ˈbʁʏlən]) and brüllte ([ˈbʁʏltə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60244, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

brüllen is recorded at frequency rank #15,053, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈbʁʏlən]. brüllte is at rank #45,191, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈbʁʏltə].

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 60244, this pair ranks #794,230 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of brüllen vs brüllte

Shared letters: belrü. Private to "brüllen": n. Private to "brüllte": t.

"brüllen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "brüllte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV

Frequency comparison

brüllen#15,053
brüllte#45,191

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "brüllen" and "brüllte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbʁʏlən] versus [ˈbʁʏltə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "brüllen" or "brüllte"?
"brüllen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,053 in our German list, against #45,191 for "brüllte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering brüllen vs brüllte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “brüllen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list