imitierenvsimitiertWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“imitieren” and “imitiert” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#28,255
“imitieren” frequency rank
#40,009
“imitiert” frequency rank
68264
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature imitieren imitiert
Definition etwas nach dem Muster, Vorbild von etwas Anderem tun 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs imitieren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set imitieren and imitiert apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
imitieren
8 ch
imitiert

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. imitieren ([imiˈtiːʁən]) and imitiert ([imiˈtiːɐ̯t]) 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 68264, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

imitieren is recorded at frequency rank #28,255, classified as averb, pronounced [imiˈtiːʁən]. imitiert is at rank #40,009, tagged as averb, pronounced [imiˈtiːɐ̯t].

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 68264, this pair ranks #513,412 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of imitieren vs imitiert

Shared letters: eimrt. Private to "imitieren": n. Private to "imitiert": -.

"imitieren" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVVCVC  ·  "imitiert" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • imitiereniimtieren · imiiteren · imiteiren · imitieern · imitierenn · imitierne · imitierren · imitireen
  • imitiertiimtiert · imiitert · imiteirt · imitierrt · imitiertt · imitietr · imitiret · imittiert

Frequency comparison

imitieren#28,255
imitiert#40,009

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "imitieren" and "imitiert" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([imiˈtiːʁən] versus [imiˈtiːɐ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "imitieren" or "imitiert"?
"imitieren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,255 in our German list, against #40,009 for "imitiert". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering imitieren vs imitiert

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “imitieren” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list