Which to use
“schleppen” and “schleppte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,922
- “schleppen” frequency rank
- #43,468
- “schleppte” frequency rank
- 58390
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schleppen | schleppte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schwer tragen, so dass man sich sehr dabei anstrengt | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schleppen |
Where the eye mixes schleppen and schleppte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. schleppen (CCCCVCCVC) and schleppte (CCCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between schleppen and schleppte
A purely visual mix-up. schleppen ([ˈʃlɛpn̩]) and schleppte ([ˈʃlɛptə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58390, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schleppen is recorded at frequency rank #14,922, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃlɛpn̩]. schleppte is at rank #43,468, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃlɛptə].
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 58390, this pair ranks #864,628 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schleppen vs schleppte
Shared letters: cehlps. Private to "schleppen": n. Private to "schleppte": t.
"schleppen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "schleppte" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schleppen" and "schleppte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "schleppen" or "schleppte"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schleppen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schleppte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #864,628 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schleppen" and "schleppte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schlepptau vs schleppte". 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 #864,628 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.