öffnen vs öffneten, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“öffnen” and “öffneten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,007
“öffnen” frequency rank: #25,857
“öffneten” frequency rank: 27864
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	öffnen	öffneten
Definition	etwas aufmachen; offen machen	1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs öffnen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set öffnen and öffneten apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

öffnen

8 ch

öffneten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. öffnen ([ˈœfnən]) and öffneten ([ˈœfnətn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27864, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

öffnen is recorded at frequency rank #2,007, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈœfnən]. öffneten is at rank #25,857, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈœfnətn̩].

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 27864, this pair ranks #1,794,579 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of öffnen vs öffneten

Shared letters: efnö. Private to "öffnen": -. Private to "öffneten": t.

"öffnen" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "öffneten" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

öffnen#2,007

öffneten#25,857

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "öffnen" and "öffneten" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈœfnən] versus [ˈœfnətn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "öffnen" or "öffneten"?

"öffnen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,007 in our German list, against #25,857 for "öffneten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering öffnen vs öffneten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “öffnen” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable