Which to use
“rollen” and “rollte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,610
- “rollen” frequency rank
- #21,749
- “rollte” frequency rank
- 24359
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rollen | rollte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | während einer Vor- oder Rückwärtsbewegung sich selbst um die eigene Achse drehen; die Bewegung eines Rades | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs rollen |
Where the eye mixes rollen and rollte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses rollen with rollte
A purely visual mix-up. rollen ([ˈʁɔlən]) and rollte ([ˈʁɔltə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24359, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
rollen is recorded at frequency rank #2,610, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁɔlən]. rollte is at rank #21,749, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁɔltə].
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 24359, this pair ranks #1,848,755 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of rollen vs rollte
Shared letters: elor. Private to "rollen": n. Private to "rollte": t.
"rollen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "rollte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "rollen" for "rollte" ever safe?
Frequency check: "rollen" vs "rollte" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "rollen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "rollte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,848,755 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "rollen" and "rollte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rollte vs rollten". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,848,755 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.