Which to use
“existiert” and “existierten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,819
- “existiert” frequency rank
- #28,644
- “existierten” frequency rank
- 31463
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | existiert | existierten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs existieren | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs existieren |
Where the eye mixes existiert and existierten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses existiert with existierten
A purely visual mix-up. existiert ([ˌɛksɪsˈtiːɐ̯t]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “existiert” sits inside “existierten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31463, 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]. 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 31463, this pair ranks #1,727,581 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of existiert vs existierten
Shared letters: eirstx. Private to "existiert": -. Private to "existierten": n.
"existiert" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVVCC · "existierten" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- existiert ← eixstiert · exisitert · exisstiert · existeirt · existierrt · existiertt · existietr · existiret
- existierten ← eixstierten · exisiterten · exisstierten · existeirten · existieretn · existierrten · existiertenn · existiertne
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "existiert" for "existierten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "existiert" or "existierten" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "existiert" 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 #1,727,581 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "existiert" 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 #1,727,581 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.