einführenvseinführteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,701
“einführen” frequency rank
#39,905
“einführte” frequency rank
48606
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature einführen einführte
Definition eine Ware über eine Grenze in ein Land/Gebiet bringen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs einführen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set einführen and einführte apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
einführen
9 ch
einführte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. einführen ([ˈaɪ̯nˌfyːʁən]) and einführte ([ˈaɪ̯nˌfyːɐ̯tə]) 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 48606, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

einführen is recorded at frequency rank #8,701, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌfyːʁən]. einführte is at rank #39,905, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌfyːɐ̯tə].

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 48606, this pair ranks #1,242,309 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of einführen vs einführte

Shared letters: efhinrü. Private to "einführen": -. Private to "einführte": t.

"einführen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC  ·  "einführte" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCCV

Frequency comparison

einführen#8,701
einführte#39,905

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "einführen" and "einführte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaɪ̯nˌfyːʁən] versus [ˈaɪ̯nˌfyːɐ̯tə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "einführen" or "einführte"?
"einführen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,701 in our German list, against #39,905 for "einführte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering einführen vs einführte

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 “einführen” 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