dauertevsdauertenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,969
“dauerte” frequency rank
#27,243
“dauerten” frequency rank
32212
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dauerte dauerten
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs dauern 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs dauern

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dauerte and dauerten apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
dauerte
8 ch
dauerten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dauerte ([ˈdaʊ̯ɐtə]) and dauerten ([ˈdaʊ̯ɐtn̩]) 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) - “dauerte” sits inside “dauerten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32212, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dauerte is recorded at frequency rank #4,969, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdaʊ̯ɐtə]. dauerten is at rank #27,243, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdaʊ̯ɐtn̩].

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 32212, this pair ranks #1,712,357 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of dauerte vs dauerten

Shared letters: adertu. Private to "dauerte": -. Private to "dauerten": n.

"dauerte" · 7 letters · shape CVVVCCV  ·  "dauerten" · 8 letters · shape CVVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dauerteaduerte · daeurte · daueret · dauerrte · dauertte · dauetre · daurete · ddauerte
  • dauertenaduerten · daeurten · daueretn · dauerrten · dauertenn · dauertne · dauertten · dauetren

Frequency comparison

dauerte#4,969
dauerten#27,243

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dauerte" and "dauerten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdaʊ̯ɐtə] versus [ˈdaʊ̯ɐtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dauerte" or "dauerten"?
"dauerte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,969 in our German list, against #27,243 for "dauerten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dauerte vs dauerten

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 “dauerte” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list