fordertvsfordertenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“fordert” and “forderten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,883
“fordert” frequency rank
#12,493
“forderten” frequency rank
14376
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fordert forderten
Definition Imperativ Plural (ihr) des Verbs fordern 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs fordern

Where the eye mixes fordert and forderten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. fordert runs 7 letters (CVCCVCC) against forderten's 9 (CVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
fordert
9 ch
forderten

Look-alike desk: fordert vs forderten

A purely visual mix-up. fordert ([ˈfɔʁdɐt]) and forderten ([ˈfɔʁdɐtn̩]) 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) - “fordert” sits inside “forderten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14376, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fordert is recorded at frequency rank #1,883, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfɔʁdɐt]. forderten is at rank #12,493, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfɔʁdɐtn̩].

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 14376, this pair ranks #1,951,629 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fordert vs forderten

Shared letters: defort. Private to "fordert": -. Private to "forderten": n.

"fordert" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "forderten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fordertffordert · fodrert · forddert · forderrt · fordertt · fordetr · fordret · foredrt
  • fordertenfforderten · fodrerten · fordderten · forderetn · forderrten · fordertenn · fordertne · fordertten

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "fordert" and "forderten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɔʁdɐt] versus [ˈfɔʁdɐtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fordert" or "forderten"?
"fordert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,883 in our German list, against #12,493 for "forderten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "fordert" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "forderten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,951,629 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "fordert" and "forderten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fordert vs forget". 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 #1,951,629 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list