prüftvsprüfteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,380
“prüft” frequency rank
#33,241
“prüfte” frequency rank
40621
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature prüft prüfte
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs prüfen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs prüfen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set prüft and prüfte apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
prüft
6 ch
prüfte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. prüft ([pʁyːft]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “prüft” sits inside “prüfte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40621, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

prüft is recorded at frequency rank #7,380, classified as averb, pronounced [pʁyːft]. 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 40621, this pair ranks #1,503,210 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of prüft vs prüfte

Shared letters: fprtü. Private to "prüft": -. Private to "prüfte": e.

"prüft" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "prüfte" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Frequency comparison

prüft#7,380
prüfte#33,241

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "prüft" and "prüfte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([pʁyːft] versus [ˈpʁyːftə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "prüft" or "prüfte"?
"prüft" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,380 in our German list, against #33,241 for "prüfte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering prüft vs prüfte

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 “prüft” 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