Which to use
“flüstern” and “flüsterte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,721
- “flüstern” frequency rank
- #36,936
- “flüsterte” frequency rank
- 61657
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | flüstern | flüsterte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit gesenkter, leiser Stimme sprechen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs flüstern |
Where the eye mixes flüstern and flüsterte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses flüstern with flüsterte
A purely visual mix-up. flüstern ([ˈflʏstɐn]) and flüsterte ([ˈflʏstɐtə]) 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 61657, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
flüstern is recorded at frequency rank #24,721, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈflʏstɐn]. flüsterte is at rank #36,936, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈflʏstɐtə].
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 61657, this pair ranks #741,510 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of flüstern vs flüsterte
Shared letters: eflrstü. Private to "flüstern": n. Private to "flüsterte": -.
"flüstern" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC · "flüsterte" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "flüstern" and "flüsterte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "flüstern" vs "flüsterte" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "flüstern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "flüsterte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #741,510 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "flüstern" and "flüsterte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "flüstert vs flüsterte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #741,510 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.