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 eye mixes einführen and einführte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. einführen (VVCCVCCVC) and einführte (VVCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses einführen with einführte
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "einführen" for "einführte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "einführen" or "einführte"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "einführen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "einführte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,242,309 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "einführen" and "einführte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "einführt vs einführte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,242,309 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.