deutenvsdeutetenTell them apart

Which to use

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

#8,190
“deuten” frequency rank
#47,311
“deuteten” frequency rank
55501
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature deuten deuteten
Definition auf ein Objekt weisen; hinweisen, zeigen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs deuten

Where the eye mixes deuten and deuteten

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

6 ch
deuten
8 ch
deuteten

Why the eye confuses deuten with deuteten

A purely visual mix-up. deuten ([ˈdɔɪ̯tn̩]) and deuteten ([ˈdɔɪ̯tətn̩]) 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 55501, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

deuten is recorded at frequency rank #8,190, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdɔɪ̯tn̩]. deuteten is at rank #47,311, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdɔɪ̯tətn̩].

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 55501, this pair ranks #977,089 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of deuten vs deuteten

Shared letters: dentu. Private to "deuten": -. Private to "deuteten": -.

"deuten" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "deuteten" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • deuten ← ddeuten · detuen · deuetn · deutenn · deutne · deutten · dueten · eduten
  • deuteten ← ddeuteten · detueten · deuetten · deuteetn · deutetenn · deutetne · deutetten · deutteen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "deuten" and "deuteten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdɔɪ̯tn̩] versus [ˈdɔɪ̯tətn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "deuten" vs "deuteten" - which ranks higher?
"deuten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,190 in our German list, against #47,311 for "deuteten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "deuten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "deuteten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #977,089 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "deuten" and "deuteten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "deutete vs deuteten". 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 #977,089 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