RückenvsrücktWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Rücken is a noun, rückt is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Rücken” is a noun and “rückt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,400
“Rücken” frequency rank
#7,107
“rückt” frequency rank
8507
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Rücken rückt
Definition hintere Fläche des Oberkörpers 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs rücken

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Rücken and rückt apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Rücken
5 ch
rückt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Rücken is [ˈʁʏkn̩] while rückt is [ʁʏkt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8507, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Rücken is recorded at frequency rank #1,400, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁʏkn̩]. rückt is at rank #7,107, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʁʏkt].

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 8507, this pair ranks #1,984,007 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Rücken vs rückt

Shared letters: ckrü. Private to "Rücken": en. Private to "rückt": t.

"Rücken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "rückt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Frequency comparison

Rücken#1,400
rückt#7,107

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Rücken" and "rückt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Rücken" is a noun and "rückt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Rücken" or "rückt"?
"Rücken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,400 in our German list, against #7,107 for "rückt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Rücken vs rückt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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