Which to use
“lehnten” and “lernte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,213
- “lehnten” frequency rank
- #5,866
- “lernte” frequency rank
- 29079
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lehnten | lernte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum des Verbs lehnen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lernen |
Where the eye mixes lehnten and lernte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lehnten vs lernte
A purely visual mix-up. lehnten ([ˈleːntn̩]) and lernte ([ˈlɛʁntə]) 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 29079, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lehnten is recorded at frequency rank #23,213, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈleːntn̩]. lernte is at rank #5,866, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛʁntə].
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 29079, this pair ranks #1,773,437 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lehnten vs lernte
Shared letters: elnt. Private to "lehnten": h. Private to "lernte": r.
"lehnten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "lernte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lehnten" and "lernte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lehnten" or "lernte"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lehnten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lernte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,773,437 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lehnten" and "lernte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lehnten vs lenzen". 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 #1,773,437 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.