Which to use
“lenken” and “lenkte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,098
- “lenken” frequency rank
- #23,217
- “lenkte” frequency rank
- 31315
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lenken | lenkte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an einen bestimmten Ort, an ein Ziel führen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lenken |
Where the eye mixes lenken and lenkte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lenken vs lenkte
A purely visual mix-up. lenken ([ˈlɛŋkn̩]) and lenkte ([ˈlɛŋktə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31315, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lenken is recorded at frequency rank #8,098, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛŋkn̩]. lenkte is at rank #23,217, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛŋktə].
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 31315, this pair ranks #1,730,615 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lenken vs lenkte
Shared letters: ekln. Private to "lenken": -. Private to "lenkte": t.
"lenken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "lenkte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lenken" and "lenkte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lenken" or "lenkte"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "lenken" and "lenkte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lenken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lenkte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,730,615 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lenken" and "lenkte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "leckte vs lenkte". 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 #1,730,615 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.