Which to use
“schwankte” and “schwänze” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #44,904
- “schwankte” frequency rank
- #14,406
- “schwänze” frequency rank
- 59310
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schwankte | schwänze |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schwanken | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schwänzen |
Where the eye mixes schwankte and schwänze
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. schwankte runs 9 letters (CCCCVCCCV) against schwänze's 8 (CCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses schwankte with schwänze
A purely visual mix-up. schwankte ([ˈʃvaŋktə]) and schwänze ([ˈʃvɛnt͡sə]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59310, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schwankte is recorded at frequency rank #44,904, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvaŋktə]. schwänze is at rank #14,406, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvɛnt͡sə].
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 59310, this pair ranks #829,304 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schwankte vs schwänze
Shared letters: cehnsw. Private to "schwankte": akt. Private to "schwänze": zä.
"schwankte" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCCV · "schwänze" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- schwankte ← cshwankte · scchwankte · schawnkte · schhwankte · schwaknte · schwanket · schwankkte · schwanktte
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schwankte" for "schwänze" ever safe?
Which is more common, "schwankte" or "schwänze"?
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 "schwankte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schwänze" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #829,304 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schwankte" and "schwänze" 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 #829,304 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.