Which to use
“existiert” and “existierte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,819
- “existiert” frequency rank
- #17,879
- “existierte” frequency rank
- 20698
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | existiert | existierte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs existieren | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs existieren |
Where the eye mixes existiert and existierte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: existiert vs existierte
A purely visual mix-up. existiert ([ˌɛksɪsˈtiːɐ̯t]) and existierte ([ˌɛksɪsˈtiːɐ̯tə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “existiert” sits inside “existierte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20698, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
existiert is recorded at frequency rank #2,819, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌɛksɪsˈtiːɐ̯t]. existierte is at rank #17,879, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌɛksɪsˈtiːɐ̯tə].
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 20698, this pair ranks #1,894,757 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of existiert vs existierte
Shared letters: eirstx. Private to "existiert": -. Private to "existierte": -.
"existiert" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVVCC · "existierte" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- existiert ← eixstiert · exisitert · exisstiert · existeirt · existierrt · existiertt · existietr · existiret
- existierte ← eixstierte · exisiterte · exisstierte · existeirte · existieret · existierrte · existiertte · existietre
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "existiert" for "existierte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "existiert" or "existierte"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "existiert" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "existierte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,894,757 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "existiert" and "existierte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "existiere vs existierte". 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 #1,894,757 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.