Which to use
“gucken” and “guckte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,722
- “gucken” frequency rank
- #48,198
- “guckte” frequency rank
- 50920
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gucken | guckte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | seine Augen auf etwas richten | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs gucken |
Where the eye mixes gucken and guckte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. gucken (CVCCVC) and guckte (CVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses gucken with guckte
A purely visual mix-up. gucken ([ˈɡʊkn̩]) and guckte ([ˈɡʊktə]) 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 50920, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gucken is recorded at frequency rank #2,722, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɡʊkn̩]. guckte is at rank #48,198, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈɡʊktə].
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 50920, this pair ranks #1,155,326 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of gucken vs guckte
Shared letters: cegku. Private to "gucken": n. Private to "guckte": t.
"gucken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "guckte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "gucken" for "guckte" ever safe?
Frequency check: "gucken" vs "guckte" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "gucken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "guckte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,155,326 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gucken" and "guckte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "guckte vs Gurke". 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 #1,155,326 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.