Which to use
“herrsche” and “herrschten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,593
- “herrsche” frequency rank
- #28,243
- “herrschten” frequency rank
- 60836
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | herrsche | herrschten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs herrschen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs herrschen |
Where the eye mixes herrsche and herrschten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. herrsche runs 8 letters (CVCCCCCV) against herrschten's 10 (CVCCCCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: herrsche vs herrschten
A purely visual mix-up. herrsche ([ˈhɛʁʃə]) and herrschten ([ˈhɛʁʃtn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60836, 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]. herrschten is at rank #28,243, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛʁʃtn̩].
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 60836, this pair ranks #772,149 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of herrsche vs herrschten
Shared letters: cehrs. Private to "herrsche": -. Private to "herrschten": nt.
"herrsche" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCCV · "herrschten" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- herrsche ← ehrrsche · herrcshe · herrscche · herrsceh · herrschhe · herrshce · herrssche · hersche
- herrschten ← ehrrschten · herrcshten · herrscchten · herrschetn · herrschhten · herrschtenn · herrschtne · herrschtten
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "herrsche" and "herrschten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "herrsche" or "herrschten"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "herrsche" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "herrschten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #772,149 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "herrsche" and "herrschten" 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 #772,149 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.