darstellenvsdarstelltenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#3,235
“darstellen” frequency rank
#30,994
“darstellten” frequency rank
34229
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature darstellen darstellten
Definition jemanden, etwas in einer Nachbildung (zum Beispiel in einem Bild) wiedergeben 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs darstellen

Where the eye mixes darstellen and darstellten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. darstellen runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCCVC) against darstellten's 11 (CVCCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
darstellen
11 ch
darstellten

Look-alike desk: darstellen vs darstellten

A purely visual mix-up. darstellen ([ˈdaːɐ̯ˌʃtɛlən]) and darstellten ([ˈdaːɐ̯ˌʃtɛltn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34229, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

darstellen is recorded at frequency rank #3,235, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdaːɐ̯ˌʃtɛlən]. darstellten is at rank #30,994, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdaːɐ̯ˌʃtɛltn̩].

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 34229, this pair ranks #1,668,122 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of darstellen vs darstellten

Shared letters: adelnrst. Private to "darstellen": -. Private to "darstellten": -.

"darstellen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "darstellten" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • darstellen ← adrstellen · darrstellen · darsetllen · darsstellen · darsteleln · darstelen · darstellenn · darstellne
  • darstellten ← adrstellten · darrstellten · darsetllten · darsstellten · darstelletn · darstelltenn · darstelltne · darstelltten

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "darstellen" and "darstellten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdaːɐ̯ˌʃtɛlən] versus [ˈdaːɐ̯ˌʃtɛltn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "darstellen" vs "darstellten" - which ranks higher?
"darstellen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,235 in our German list, against #30,994 for "darstellten". 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 "darstellen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "darstellten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,668,122 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "darstellen" and "darstellten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Darstellern vs darstellten". 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 #1,668,122 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