senktvssenkteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,968
“senkt” frequency rank
#30,765
“senkte” frequency rank
42733
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature senkt senkte
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs senken 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs senken

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set senkt and senkte apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
senkt
6 ch
senkte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. senkt ([zɛŋkt]) and senkte ([ˈzɛŋktə]) 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) - “senkt” sits inside “senkte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42733, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

senkt is recorded at frequency rank #11,968, classified as averb, pronounced [zɛŋkt]. senkte is at rank #30,765, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈzɛŋktə].

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 42733, this pair ranks #1,440,230 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of senkt vs senkte

Shared letters: eknst. Private to "senkt": -. Private to "senkte": -.

"senkt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "senkte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • senktesnkt · seknt · senkkt · senktt · sennkt · sentk · snekt · ssenkt
  • senkteesnkte · seknte · senket · senkkte · senktte · sennkte · sentke · snekte

Frequency comparison

senkt#11,968
senkte#30,765

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "senkt" and "senkte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([zɛŋkt] versus [ˈzɛŋktə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "senkt" or "senkte"?
"senkt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,968 in our German list, against #30,765 for "senkte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering senkt vs senkte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “senkt” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list