Which to use
“lerne” and “lernte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,215
- “lerne” frequency rank
- #5,866
- “lernte” frequency rank
- 12081
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lerne | lernte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lernen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lernen |
Where the eye mixes lerne and lernte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. lerne runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against lernte's 6 (CVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: lerne vs lernte
A purely visual mix-up. lerne ([ˈlɛʁnə]) 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 12081, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lerne is recorded at frequency rank #6,215, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛʁnə]. 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 12081, this pair ranks #1,966,283 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lerne vs lernte
Shared letters: elnr. Private to "lerne": -. Private to "lernte": t.
"lerne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "lernte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lerne" and "lernte" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "lerne" vs "lernte" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "lerne" and "lernte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lerne" 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 #1,966,283 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lerne" and "lernte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lerche vs lerne". 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 #1,966,283 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.