Which to use
“scheitern” and “scheiterten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,229
- “scheitern” frequency rank
- #17,118
- “scheiterten” frequency rank
- 21347
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scheitern | scheiterten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas nicht erreichen, das man erreichen will | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs scheitern |
Where the eye mixes scheitern and scheiterten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses scheitern with scheiterten
A purely visual mix-up. scheitern ([ˈʃaɪ̯tɐn]) and scheiterten ([ˈʃaɪ̯tɐtn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21347, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scheitern is recorded at frequency rank #4,229, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃaɪ̯tɐn]. scheiterten is at rank #17,118, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃaɪ̯tɐtn̩].
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 21347, this pair ranks #1,887,356 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of scheitern vs scheiterten
Shared letters: cehinrst. Private to "scheitern": -. Private to "scheiterten": -.
"scheitern" · 9 letters · shape CCCVVCVCC · "scheiterten" · 11 letters · shape CCCVVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- scheitern ← csheitern · sccheitern · scehitern · scheietrn · scheitenr · scheiternn · scheiterrn · scheitren
- scheiterten ← csheiterten · sccheiterten · scehiterten · scheietrten · scheiteretn · scheiterrten · scheitertenn · scheitertne
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "scheitern" for "scheiterten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "scheitern" or "scheiterten"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "scheitern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "scheiterten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,887,356 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scheitern" and "scheiterten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scheitern vs Schweizern". 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 #1,887,356 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.