Which to use
“herrsche” and “herrschte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,593
- “herrsche” frequency rank
- #7,770
- “herrschte” frequency rank
- 40363
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | herrsche | herrschte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs herrschen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs herrschen |
Where the eye mixes herrsche and herrschte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between herrsche and herrschte
A purely visual mix-up. herrsche ([ˈhɛʁʃə]) and herrschte ([ˈhɛʁʃtə]) 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 40363, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
herrsche is recorded at frequency rank #32,593, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛʁʃə]. herrschte is at rank #7,770, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛʁʃtə].
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 40363, this pair ranks #1,510,659 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of herrsche vs herrschte
Shared letters: cehrs. Private to "herrsche": -. Private to "herrschte": t.
"herrsche" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCCV · "herrschte" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "herrsche" and "herrschte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "herrsche" or "herrschte" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "herrsche" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "herrschte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,510,659 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "herrsche" and "herrschte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "herrsche vs Herrschern". 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 #1,510,659 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.