scheitertvsscheiterteWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#8,777
“scheitert” frequency rank
#6,969
“scheiterte” frequency rank
15746
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature scheitert scheiterte
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scheitern 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs scheitern

Where the eye mixes scheitert and scheiterte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.

9 ch
scheitert
10 ch
scheiterte

Why the eye confuses scheitert with scheiterte

A purely visual mix-up. scheitert ([ˈʃaɪ̯tɐt]) and scheiterte ([ˈʃaɪ̯tɐtə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “scheitert” sits inside “scheiterte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15746, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

scheitert is recorded at frequency rank #8,777, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃaɪ̯tɐt]. scheiterte is at rank #6,969, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃaɪ̯tɐtə].

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 15746, this pair ranks #1,941,458 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of scheitert vs scheiterte

Shared letters: cehirst. Private to "scheitert": -. Private to "scheiterte": -.

"scheitert" · 9 letters · shape CCCVVCVCC  ·  "scheiterte" · 10 letters · shape CCCVVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • scheitertcsheitert · sccheitert · scehitert · scheietrt · scheiterrt · scheitertt · scheitetr · scheitret
  • scheitertecsheiterte · sccheiterte · scehiterte · scheietrte · scheiteret · scheiterrte · scheitertte · scheitetre

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "scheitert" for "scheiterte" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃaɪ̯tɐt] versus [ˈʃaɪ̯tɐtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "scheitert" or "scheiterte"?
"scheiterte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,969 in our German list, against #8,777 for "scheitert". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "scheitert" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "scheiterte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,941,458 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "scheitert" and "scheiterte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scheitert vs schmiert". 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 #1,941,458 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list