führstvsführteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,048
“führst” frequency rank
#1,291
“führte” frequency rank
33339
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature führst führte
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs führen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs führen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set führst and führte apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
führst
6 ch
führte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. führst ([fyːɐ̯st]) and führte ([ˈfyːɐ̯tə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33339, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

führst is recorded at frequency rank #32,048, classified as averb, pronounced [fyːɐ̯st]. führte is at rank #1,291, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfyːɐ̯tə].

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 33339, this pair ranks #1,688,089 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of führst vs führte

Shared letters: fhrtü. Private to "führst": s. Private to "führte": e.

"führst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC  ·  "führte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Frequency comparison

führst#32,048
führte#1,291

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "führst" and "führte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fyːɐ̯st] versus [ˈfyːɐ̯tə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "führst" or "führte"?
"führte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,291 in our German list, against #32,048 for "führst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering führst vs führte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “führst” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list