Which to use
“nutzen” and “nutzten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #798
- “nutzen” frequency rank
- #11,491
- “nutzten” frequency rank
- 12289
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nutzen | nutzten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas gebrauchen oder zu Hilfe nehmen, um ein Ziel zu erreichen; etwas in Anspruch nehmen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs nutzen |
Where the eye mixes nutzen and nutzten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. nutzen runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against nutzten's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: nutzen vs nutzten
A purely visual mix-up. nutzen ([ˈnʊt͡sn̩]) and nutzten ([ˈnʊt͡stn̩]) 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 12289, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nutzen is recorded at frequency rank #798, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈnʊt͡sn̩]. nutzten is at rank #11,491, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈnʊt͡stn̩].
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 12289, this pair ranks #1,965,074 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nutzen vs nutzten
Shared letters: entuz. Private to "nutzen": -. Private to "nutzten": -.
"nutzen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "nutzten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nutzen" for "nutzten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "nutzen" vs "nutzten" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nutzen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nutzten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,965,074 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nutzen" and "nutzten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nutzen vs Nutzers". 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 #1,965,074 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.