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 eye mixes öffnen and öffneten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. öffnen runs 6 letters (VCCCVC) against öffneten's 8 (VCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses öffnen with öffneten
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "öffnen" and "öffneten" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "öffnen" vs "öffneten" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "öffnen" and "öffneten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "öffnen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "öffneten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,794,579 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "öffnen" and "öffneten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "öffnete vs öffneten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,794,579 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.