Which to use
“lernen” and “lernte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #636
- “lernen” frequency rank
- #5,866
- “lernte” frequency rank
- 6502
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lernen | lernte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erarbeiten/erwerben/gewinnen von Kenntnissen und/oder geistigen oder körperlichen Fähigkeiten, Fertigkeiten und Erfahrungen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lernen |
Where the eye mixes lernen and lernte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. lernen (CVCCVC) and lernte (CVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: lernen vs lernte
A purely visual mix-up. lernen ([ˈlɛʁnən]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6502, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lernen is recorded at frequency rank #636, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛʁnən]. 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 6502, this pair ranks #1,991,428 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lernen vs lernte
Shared letters: elnr. Private to "lernen": -. Private to "lernte": t.
"lernen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "lernte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lernen" and "lernte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "lernen" or "lernte"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lernen" 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 #1,991,428 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lernen" and "lernte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lerche vs lernte". 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 #1,991,428 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.