genügtvsgenügteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,837
“genügt” frequency rank
#30,573
“genügte” frequency rank
36410
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature genügt genügte
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs genügen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs genügen

Where the eye mixes genügt and genügte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. genügt runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against genügte's 7 (CVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
genügt
7 ch
genügte

Look-alike desk: genügt vs genügte

A purely visual mix-up. genügt ([ɡəˈnyːkt]) and genügte ([ɡəˈnyːktə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “genügt” sits inside “genügte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36410, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

genügt is recorded at frequency rank #5,837, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈnyːkt]. genügte is at rank #30,573, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈnyːktə].

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 36410, this pair ranks #1,616,304 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of genügt vs genügte

Shared letters: egntü. Private to "genügt": -. Private to "genügte": -.

"genügt" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "genügte" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "genügt" and "genügte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈnyːkt] versus [ɡəˈnyːktə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "genügt" or "genügte" show up more?
"genügt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,837 in our German list, against #30,573 for "genügte". 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 "genügt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "genügte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,616,304 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "genügt" and "genügte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "genügte vs Genüsse". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,616,304 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