Which to use
“eil” and “eilte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,151
- “eil” frequency rank
- #27,258
- “eilte” frequency rank
- 62409
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eil | eilte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs eilen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs eilen |
Where the eye mixes eil and eilte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between eil and eilte
A purely visual mix-up. eil ([aɪ̯l]) and eilte ([ˈaɪ̯ltə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “eil” sits inside “eilte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62409, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
eil is recorded at frequency rank #35,151, classified as averb, pronounced [aɪ̯l]. eilte is at rank #27,258, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯ltə].
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 62409, this pair ranks #713,968 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of eil vs eilte
Shared letters: eil. Private to "eil": -. Private to "eilte": t.
"eil" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "eilte" · 5 letters · shape VVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- eilte ← eilet · eillte · eiltte · ielte
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "eil" and "eilte" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "eil" vs "eilte" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "eil" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "eilte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #713,968 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eil" and "eilte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eil vs Erle". 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 #713,968 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.