drängenvsdrängteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,748
“drängen” frequency rank
#17,262
“drängte” frequency rank
25010
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature drängen drängte
Definition jemanden an einen Ort bewegen, ohne dass er es will 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs drängen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set drängen and drängte apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
drängen
7 ch
drängte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. drängen ([ˈdʁɛŋən]) and drängte ([ˈdʁɛŋtə]) 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 25010, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

drängen is recorded at frequency rank #7,748, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdʁɛŋən]. drängte is at rank #17,262, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdʁɛŋtə].

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 25010, this pair ranks #1,839,424 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of drängen vs drängte

Shared letters: degnrä. Private to "drängen": -. Private to "drängte": t.

"drängen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "drängte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV

Frequency comparison

drängen#7,748
drängte#17,262

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "drängen" and "drängte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdʁɛŋən] versus [ˈdʁɛŋtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "drängen" or "drängte"?
"drängen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,748 in our German list, against #17,262 for "drängte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering drängen vs drängte

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 “drängen” 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