Which to use
“schwanken” and “schwankte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,055
- “schwanken” frequency rank
- #44,904
- “schwankte” frequency rank
- 62959
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schwanken | schwankte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich nicht entscheiden können; sich mal so, mal so äußern oder verhalten | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schwanken |
Where the eye mixes schwanken and schwankte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. schwanken (CCCCVCCVC) and schwankte (CCCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between schwanken and schwankte
A purely visual mix-up. schwanken ([ˈʃvaŋkn̩]) and schwankte ([ˈʃvaŋktə]) 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 62959, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schwanken is recorded at frequency rank #18,055, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvaŋkn̩]. schwankte is at rank #44,904, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvaŋktə].
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 62959, this pair ranks #693,898 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schwanken vs schwankte
Shared letters: acehknsw. Private to "schwanken": -. Private to "schwankte": t.
"schwanken" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "schwankte" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schwanken" for "schwankte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "schwanken" or "schwankte"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schwanken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schwankte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #693,898 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schwanken" and "schwankte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schwanke vs schwankte". 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 #693,898 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.