Which to use
“eilen” and “eilte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,518
- “eilen” frequency rank
- #27,258
- “eilte” frequency rank
- 52776
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eilen | eilte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schnell gehen, um ein Ziel möglichst schnell zu erreichen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs eilen |
Where the eye mixes eilen and eilte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: eilen vs eilte
A purely visual mix-up. eilen ([ˈaɪ̯lən]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52776, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
eilen is recorded at frequency rank #25,518, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯lən]. 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 52776, this pair ranks #1,083,707 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of eilen vs eilte
Shared letters: eil. Private to "eilen": n. Private to "eilte": t.
"eilen" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC · "eilte" · 5 letters · shape VVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "eilen" and "eilte" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "eilen" vs "eilte" - which ranks higher?
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 "eilen" 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 #1,083,707 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eilen" and "eilte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eilte 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 #1,083,707 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.