schlüpftvsschlüpfteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#33,801
“schlüpft” frequency rank
#43,472
“schlüpfte” frequency rank
77273
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schlüpft schlüpfte
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schlüpfen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schlüpfen

Where the eye mixes schlüpft and schlüpfte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.

8 ch
schlüpft
9 ch
schlüpfte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schlüpft ([ʃlʏp͡ft]) and schlüpfte ([ˈʃlʏp͡ftə]) 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) - “schlüpft” sits inside “schlüpfte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77273, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schlüpft is recorded at frequency rank #33,801, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃlʏp͡ft]. schlüpfte is at rank #43,472, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃlʏp͡ftə].

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 77273, this pair ranks #264,555 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of schlüpft vs schlüpfte

Shared letters: cfhlpstü. Private to "schlüpft": -. Private to "schlüpfte": e.

"schlüpft" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC  ·  "schlüpfte" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schlüpft" and "schlüpfte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃlʏp͡ft] versus [ˈʃlʏp͡ftə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schlüpft" or "schlüpfte"?
"schlüpft" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,801 in our German list, against #43,472 for "schlüpfte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list