könntvskonnteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,233
“könnt” frequency rank
#214
“konnte” frequency rank
1447
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature könnt konnte
Definition 2. Person Plural Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs können 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs können

Where the eye mixes könnt and konnte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

5 ch
könnt
6 ch
konnte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. könnt ([kœnt]) and konnte ([ˈkɔntə]) 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 1447, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

könnt is recorded at frequency rank #1,233, classified as averb, pronounced [kœnt]. konnte is at rank #214, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkɔntə].

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 1447, this pair ranks #2,004,331 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of könnt vs konnte

Shared letters: knt. Private to "könnt": ö. Private to "konnte": eo.

"könnt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "konnte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • konntekkonnte · knonte · konnet · konntte · konte · kontne · oknnte

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "könnt" and "konnte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kœnt] versus [ˈkɔntə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "könnt" or "konnte"?
"konnte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #214 in our German list, against #1,233 for "könnt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list