Which to use
“prüf” and “prüfte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #44,153
- “prüf” frequency rank
- #33,241
- “prüfte” frequency rank
- 77394
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | prüf | prüfte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs prüfen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs prüfen |
Where the eye mixes prüf and prüfte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. prüf runs 4 letters (CCVC) against prüfte's 6 (CCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between prüf and prüfte
A purely visual mix-up. prüf ([pʁyːf]) and prüfte ([ˈpʁyːftə]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “prüf” sits inside “prüfte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77394, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
prüf is recorded at frequency rank #44,153, classified as averb, pronounced [pʁyːf]. prüfte is at rank #33,241, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpʁyːftə].
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 77394, this pair ranks #261,685 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of prüf vs prüfte
Shared letters: fprü. Private to "prüf": -. Private to "prüfte": et.
"prüf" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "prüfte" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "prüf" for "prüfte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "prüf" or "prüfte"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "prüf" and "prüfte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "prüf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "prüfte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #261,685 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "prüf" and "prüfte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Pau vs prüf". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #261,685 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.