Which to use
“drängeln” and “drängten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,711
- “drängeln” frequency rank
- #22,304
- “drängten” frequency rank
- 58015
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | drängeln | drängten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich durch Drücken und Schieben in einer Menschenmenge nach vorne bewegen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs drängen |
Where the eye mixes drängeln and drängten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. drängeln (CCVCCVCC) and drängten (CCVCCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between drängeln and drängten
A purely visual mix-up. drängeln ([ˈdʁɛŋl̩n]) and drängten ([ˈdʁɛŋtn̩]) 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 58015, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
drängeln is recorded at frequency rank #35,711, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdʁɛŋl̩n]. drängten is at rank #22,304, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdʁɛŋtn̩].
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 58015, this pair ranks #878,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of drängeln vs drängten
Shared letters: degnrä. Private to "drängeln": l. Private to "drängten": t.
"drängeln" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC · "drängten" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "drängeln" for "drängten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "drängeln" or "drängten"?
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 "drängeln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "drängten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #878,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "drängeln" and "drängten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "drängeln vs dringen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #878,977 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.