Which to use
“glänzen” and “glänzte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,169
- “glänzen” frequency rank
- #35,211
- “glänzte” frequency rank
- 51380
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | glänzen | glänzte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine reflektierende Oberfläche haben, schimmern; schillern | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs glänzen |
Where the eye mixes glänzen and glänzte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. glänzen (CCVCCVC) and glänzte (CCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: glänzen vs glänzte
A purely visual mix-up. glänzen ([ˈɡlɛnt͡sn̩]) and glänzte ([ˈɡlɛnt͡stə]) 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 51380, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
glänzen is recorded at frequency rank #16,169, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɡlɛnt͡sn̩]. glänzte is at rank #35,211, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈɡlɛnt͡stə].
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 51380, this pair ranks #1,137,722 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of glänzen vs glänzte
Shared letters: eglnzä. Private to "glänzen": -. Private to "glänzte": t.
"glänzen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "glänzte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "glänzen" and "glänzte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "glänzen" vs "glänzte" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "glänzen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "glänzte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,137,722 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "glänzen" and "glänzte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "glänzte vs glänzten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,137,722 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.