Which to use
“past” is a noun and “prägt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,262
- “past” frequency rank
- #15,974
- “prägt” frequency rank
- 39236
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | past | prägt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Vergangenheit, Vorleben | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs prägen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set past and prägt apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: past is [pɑːst] while prägt is [pʁɛːkt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39236, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
past is recorded at frequency rank #23,262, classified as anoun, pronounced [pɑːst]. prägt is at rank #15,974, tagged as averb, pronounced [pʁɛːkt].
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 39236, this pair ranks #1,542,316 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of past vs prägt
Shared letters: pt. Private to "past": as. Private to "prägt": grä.
"past" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "prägt" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- past ← apst · pastt · pats · psat
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "past" and "prägt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "past" or "prägt"?
Remembering past vs prägt
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “past”; for a verb, it's “prägt”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “past” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable