Which to use
“herrscht” and “herrschten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,320
- “herrscht” frequency rank
- #28,243
- “herrschten” frequency rank
- 31563
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | herrscht | herrschten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs herrschen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs herrschen |
Where the eye mixes herrscht and herrschten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. herrscht runs 8 letters (CVCCCCCC) against herrschten's 10 (CVCCCCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses herrscht with herrschten
A purely visual mix-up. herrscht ([hɛʁʃt]) 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 extra letter(s) - “herrscht” sits inside “herrschten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31563, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
herrscht is recorded at frequency rank #3,320, classified as averb, pronounced [hɛʁʃt]. 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 31563, this pair ranks #1,725,590 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of herrscht vs herrschten
Shared letters: cehrst. Private to "herrscht": -. Private to "herrschten": n.
"herrscht" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCCC · "herrschten" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- herrscht ← ehrrscht · herrcsht · herrsccht · herrschht · herrschtt · herrscth · herrshct · herrsscht
- herrschten ← ehrrschten · herrcshten · herrscchten · herrschetn · herrschhten · herrschtenn · herrschtne · herrschtten
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "herrscht" and "herrschten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "herrscht" or "herrschten"?
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 "herrscht" 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 #1,725,590 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "herrscht" and "herrschten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Herrschern vs herrschten". 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 #1,725,590 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.