Which to use
“kehren” and “kehrte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,198
- “kehren” frequency rank
- #6,681
- “kehrte” frequency rank
- 13879
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kehren | kehrte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sauber machen, etwas wegfegen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs kehren |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kehren and kehrte apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
kehren and kehrte form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13879, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kehren is recorded at frequency rank #7,198, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkeːʁən]. kehrte is at rank #6,681, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkeːɐ̯tə].
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 13879, this pair ranks #1,955,046 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kehren" and "kehrte" be used interchangeably?
Remembering kehren vs kehrte
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 “kehren” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable