Which to use
“schwebe” and “schwebte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,281
- “schwebe” frequency rank
- #31,263
- “schwebte” frequency rank
- 64544
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schwebe | schwebte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schweben | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schweben |
Where the eye mixes schwebe and schwebte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses schwebe with schwebte
A purely visual mix-up. schwebe ([ˈʃveːbə]) and schwebte ([ˈʃveːptə]) 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 64544, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schwebe is recorded at frequency rank #33,281, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃveːbə]. schwebte is at rank #31,263, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃveːptə].
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 64544, this pair ranks #637,697 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schwebe vs schwebte
Shared letters: bcehsw. Private to "schwebe": -. Private to "schwebte": t.
"schwebe" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCV · "schwebte" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schwebe" and "schwebte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "schwebe" or "schwebte"?
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 "schwebe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schwebte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #637,697 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schwebe" and "schwebte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schiere vs schwebe". 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 #637,697 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.