schätztvsschätztenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,628
“schätzt” frequency rank
#46,268
“schätzten” frequency rank
55896
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schätzt schätzten
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schätzen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schätzen

Where the eye mixes schätzt and schätzten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

7 ch
schätzt
9 ch
schätzten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schätzt ([ʃɛt͡st]) and schätzten ([ˈʃɛt͡stn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “schätzt” sits inside “schätzten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55896, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schätzt is recorded at frequency rank #9,628, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃɛt͡st]. schätzten is at rank #46,268, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛt͡stn̩].

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 55896, this pair ranks #961,470 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schätzt vs schätzten

Shared letters: chstzä. Private to "schätzt": -. Private to "schätzten": en.

"schätzt" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCC  ·  "schätzten" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schätzt" and "schätzten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃɛt͡st] versus [ˈʃɛt͡stn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schätzt" or "schätzten"?
"schätzt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,628 in our German list, against #46,268 for "schätzten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

You've compared "schätzt" and "schätzten". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "schätzt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schätzten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #961,470 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schätzt" and "schätzten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schätzten vs schützte". Nearby pair

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list