Which to use
“funktioniere” and “funktionierte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #44,622
- “funktioniere” frequency rank
- #13,362
- “funktionierte” frequency rank
- 57984
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | funktioniere | funktionierte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs funktionieren | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs funktionieren |
Where the eye mixes funktioniere and funktionierte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. funktioniere runs 12 letters (CVCCCVVCVVCV) against funktionierte's 13 (CVCCCVVCVVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: funktioniere vs funktionierte
A purely visual mix-up. funktioniere ([fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈniːʁə]) and funktionierte ([fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈniːɐ̯tə]) 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 57984, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
funktioniere is recorded at frequency rank #44,622, classified as averb, pronounced [fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈniːʁə]. funktionierte is at rank #13,362, tagged as averb, pronounced [fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈniːɐ̯tə].
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 57984, this pair ranks #880,114 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of funktioniere vs funktionierte
Shared letters: efiknortu. Private to "funktioniere": -. Private to "funktionierte": -.
"funktioniere" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVVCV · "funktionierte" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- funktioniere ← ffunktioniere · fnuktioniere · fukntioniere · funkitoniere · funkktioniere · funktinoiere · funktioinere · funktioneire
- funktionierte ← ffunktionierte · fnuktionierte · fukntionierte · funkitonierte · funkktionierte · funktinoierte · funktioinerte · funktioneirte
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "funktioniere" and "funktionierte" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "funktioniere" vs "funktionierte" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "funktioniere" and "funktionierte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "funktioniere" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "funktionierte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #880,114 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "funktioniere" and "funktionierte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "funktioniere vs funktionierten". 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 #880,114 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.