durchführenvsdurchführteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,697
“durchführen” frequency rank
#40,485
“durchführte” frequency rank
46182
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature durchführen durchführte
Definition einen Plan, ein Vorhaben oder einen Befehl in die Tat umsetzen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs durchführen

Where the eye mixes durchführen and durchführte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. durchführen (CVCCCCVCCVC) and durchführte (CVCCCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

11 ch
durchführen
11 ch
durchführte

Look-alike desk: durchführen vs durchführte

A purely visual mix-up. durchführen ([ˈdʊʁçˌfyːʁən]) and durchführte ([ˈdʊʁçˌfyːɐ̯tə]) 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 46182, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

durchführen is recorded at frequency rank #5,697, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdʊʁçˌfyːʁən]. durchführte is at rank #40,485, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdʊʁçˌfyːɐ̯tə].

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 46182, this pair ranks #1,327,753 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of durchführen vs durchführte

Shared letters: cdefhruü. Private to "durchführen": n. Private to "durchführte": t.

"durchführen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC  ·  "durchführte" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "durchführen" and "durchführte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdʊʁçˌfyːʁən] versus [ˈdʊʁçˌfyːɐ̯tə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "durchführen" or "durchführte"?
"durchführen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,697 in our German list, against #40,485 for "durchführte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "durchführen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "durchführte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,327,753 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "durchführen" and "durchführte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Durchfahrt vs durchführte". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,327,753 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