drücktvsdrückteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,601
“drückt” frequency rank
#10,839
“drückte” frequency rank
15440
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature drückt drückte
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs drücken 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs drücken

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
drückt
7 ch
drückte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. drückt ([dʁʏkt]) and drückte ([ˈdʁʏktə]) 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) - “drückt” sits inside “drückte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15440, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

drückt is recorded at frequency rank #4,601, classified as averb, pronounced [dʁʏkt]. drückte is at rank #10,839, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdʁʏktə].

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 15440, this pair ranks #1,943,856 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of drückt vs drückte

Shared letters: cdkrtü. Private to "drückt": -. Private to "drückte": e.

"drückt" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC  ·  "drückte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV

Frequency comparison

drückt#4,601
drückte#10,839

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "drückt" and "drückte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([dʁʏkt] versus [ˈdʁʏktə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "drückt" or "drückte"?
"drückt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,601 in our German list, against #10,839 for "drückte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering drückt vs drückte

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 “drückt” 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