reckenvsrücktenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,416
“recken” frequency rank
#22,122
“rückten” frequency rank
63538
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature recken rückten
Definition in Längsrichtung dehnen/strecken 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs rücken

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
recken
7 ch
rückten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. recken ([ˈʁɛkn̩]) and rückten ([ˈʁʏktn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63538, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

recken is recorded at frequency rank #41,416, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁɛkn̩]. rückten is at rank #22,122, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁʏktn̩].

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 63538, this pair ranks #673,253 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of recken vs rückten

Shared letters: ceknr. Private to "recken": -. Private to "rückten": .

"recken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "rückten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • reckenercken · rceken · reccken · recekn · reckenn · reckken · reckne · rekcen

Frequency comparison

recken#41,416
rückten#22,122

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "recken" and "rückten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʁɛkn̩] versus [ˈʁʏktn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "recken" or "rückten"?
"rückten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,122 in our German list, against #41,416 for "recken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering recken vs rückten

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 “recken” 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