RückensvsrücktenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#48,435
“Rückens” frequency rank
#22,122
“rückten” frequency rank
70557
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Rückens rückten
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Rücken 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs rücken

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Rückens and rückten apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Rückens
7 ch
rückten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Rückens is [ˈʁʏkn̩s] while rückten is [ˈʁʏktn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70557, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Rückens is recorded at frequency rank #48,435, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁʏkn̩s]. 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 70557, this pair ranks #442,735 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Rückens vs rückten

Shared letters: ceknrü. Private to "Rückens": s. Private to "rückten": t.

"Rückens" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "rückten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Frequency comparison

Rückens#48,435
rückten#22,122

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Rückens" and "rückten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Rückens" is a noun and "rückten" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Rückens" or "rückten"?
"rückten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,122 in our German list, against #48,435 for "Rückens". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Rückens vs rückten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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