platzenvsplatzteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,307
“platzen” frequency rank
#35,957
“platzte” frequency rank
47264
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature platzen platzte
Definition durch hohen Innendruck explodieren 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs platzen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
platzen
7 ch
platzte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. platzen ([ˈplat͡sn̩]) and platzte ([ˈplat͡stə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47264, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

platzen is recorded at frequency rank #11,307, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈplat͡sn̩]. platzte is at rank #35,957, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈplat͡stə].

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 47264, this pair ranks #1,290,458 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of platzen vs platzte

Shared letters: aelptz. Private to "platzen": n. Private to "platzte": -.

"platzen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "platzte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • platzenlpatzen · paltzen · platezn · plattzen · platzenn · platzne · platzzen · plazten
  • platztelpatzte · paltzte · plattze · plattzte · platzet · platztte · platzzte · plaztte

Frequency comparison

platzen#11,307
platzte#35,957

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "platzen" and "platzte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈplat͡sn̩] versus [ˈplat͡stə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "platzen" or "platzte"?
"platzen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,307 in our German list, against #35,957 for "platzte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering platzen vs platzte

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 “platzen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list