probierenvsprobierteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: probieren is a verb, probierte is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“probieren” is a verb and “probierte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,840
“probieren” frequency rank
#42,061
“probierte” frequency rank
45901
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature probieren probierte
Definition versuchen; testen; eine Probe machen Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs probiert

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set probieren and probierte apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
probieren
9 ch
probierte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: probieren is [pʁoˈbiːʁən] while probierte is [pʁoˈbiːɐ̯tə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45901, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

probieren is recorded at frequency rank #3,840, classified as averb, pronounced [pʁoˈbiːʁən]. probierte is at rank #42,061, tagged as anadj, pronounced [pʁoˈbiːɐ̯tə].

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 45901, this pair ranks #1,337,287 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of probieren vs probierte

Shared letters: beiopr. Private to "probieren": n. Private to "probierte": t.

"probieren" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVVCVC  ·  "probierte" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • probierenporbieren · pprobieren · prboieren · probbieren · probeiren · probieern · probierenn · probierne
  • probierteporbierte · pprobierte · prboierte · probbierte · probeirte · probieret · probierrte · probiertte

Frequency comparison

probieren#3,840
probierte#42,061

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "probieren" and "probierte" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "probieren" is a verb and "probierte" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "probieren" or "probierte"?
"probieren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,840 in our German list, against #42,061 for "probierte". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering probieren vs probierte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “probieren”; for an adjective, it's “probierte”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “probieren” 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