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 eye mixes Rückens and rückten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Rückens (CVCCVCC) and rückten (CVCCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Rückens and rückten
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Rückens" and "rückten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Rückens" or "rückten"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Rückens" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "rückten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #442,735 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Rückens" and "rückten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "recken vs Rückens". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #442,735 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.