öffnetvsöffneteConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#3,631
“öffnet” frequency rank
#8,668
“öffnete” frequency rank
12299
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature öffnet öffnete
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs öffnen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs öffnen

Where the eye mixes öffnet and öffnete

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. öffnet runs 6 letters (VCCCVC) against öffnete's 7 (VCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
öffnet
7 ch
öffnete

Look-alike desk: öffnet vs öffnete

A purely visual mix-up. öffnet ([ˈœfnət]) and öffnete ([ˈœfnətə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “öffnet” sits inside “öffnete”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12299, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

öffnet is recorded at frequency rank #3,631, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈœfnət]. öffnete is at rank #8,668, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈœfnətə].

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 12299, this pair ranks #1,965,002 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of öffnet vs öffnete

Shared letters: efntö. Private to "öffnet": -. Private to "öffnete": -.

"öffnet" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC  ·  "öffnete" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "öffnet" and "öffnete" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈœfnət] versus [ˈœfnətə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "öffnet" or "öffnete"?
"öffnet" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,631 in our German list, against #8,668 for "öffnete". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "öffnet" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "öffnete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,965,002 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "öffnet" and "öffnete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "offerte vs öffnete". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,965,002 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list