prägtevsprägtenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,393
“prägte” frequency rank
#27,459
“prägten” frequency rank
48852
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature prägte prägten
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs prägen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs prägen

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
prägte
7 ch
prägten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. prägte ([ˈpʁɛːktə]) and prägten ([ˈpʁɛːktn̩]) 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) - “prägte” sits inside “prägten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48852, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

prägte is recorded at frequency rank #21,393, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpʁɛːktə]. prägten is at rank #27,459, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpʁɛːktn̩].

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 48852, this pair ranks #1,233,186 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of prägte vs prägten

Shared letters: egprtä. Private to "prägte": -. Private to "prägten": n.

"prägte" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV  ·  "prägten" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

prägte#21,393
prägten#27,459

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "prägte" and "prägten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpʁɛːktə] versus [ˈpʁɛːktn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "prägte" or "prägten"?
"prägte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,393 in our German list, against #27,459 for "prägten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering prägte vs prägten

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 “prägte” 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