Which to use
“existieren” and “existierten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,578
- “existieren” frequency rank
- #28,644
- “existierten” frequency rank
- 32222
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | existieren | existierten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | da sein, vorhanden sein, ein Teil der Realität sein | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs existieren |
Where the eye mixes existieren and existierten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. existieren runs 10 letters (VCVCCVVCVC) against existierten's 11 (VCVCCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: existieren vs existierten
A purely visual mix-up. existieren ([ˌɛksɪsˈtiːʁən]) and existierten ([ˌɛksɪsˈtiːɐ̯tn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32222, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
existieren is recorded at frequency rank #3,578, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌɛksɪsˈtiːʁən]. existierten is at rank #28,644, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌɛksɪsˈtiːɐ̯tn̩].
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 32222, this pair ranks #1,712,127 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of existieren vs existierten
Shared letters: einrstx. Private to "existieren": -. Private to "existierten": -.
"existieren" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVVCVC · "existierten" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- existieren ← eixstieren · exisiteren · exisstieren · existeiren · existieern · existierenn · existierne · existierren
- existierten ← eixstierten · exisiterten · exisstierten · existeirten · existieretn · existierrten · existiertenn · existiertne
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "existieren" and "existierten" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "existieren" or "existierten" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "existieren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "existierten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,712,127 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "existieren" and "existierten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "existiere vs existierten". 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 #1,712,127 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.