Which to use
“definieren” is a verb and “definierten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,588
- “definieren” frequency rank
- #15,599
- “definierten” frequency rank
- 23187
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | definieren | definierten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | bestimmen, festlegen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs definiert |
Where the eye mixes definieren and definierten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. definieren runs 10 letters (CVCVCVVCVC) against definierten's 11 (CVCVCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: definieren vs definierten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: definieren is [defiˈniːʁən] while definierten is [defiˈniːɐ̯tn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23187, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
definieren is recorded at frequency rank #7,588, classified as averb, pronounced [defiˈniːʁən]. definierten is at rank #15,599, tagged as anadj, pronounced [defiˈniːɐ̯tn̩].
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 23187, this pair ranks #1,864,622 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of definieren vs definierten
Shared letters: definr. Private to "definieren": -. Private to "definierten": t.
"definieren" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVVCVC · "definierten" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- definieren ← ddefinieren · deffinieren · defiineren · defineiren · definieern · definierenn · definierne · definierren
- definierten ← ddefinierten · deffinierten · defiinerten · defineirten · definieretn · definierrten · definiertenn · definiertne
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "definieren" for "definierten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "definieren" or "definierten" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "definieren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "definierten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,864,622 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "definieren" and "definierten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "definiere vs definierten". 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 #1,864,622 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.