sichertevssichertenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,627
“sicherte” frequency rank
#24,127
“sicherten” frequency rank
32754
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sicherte sicherten
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs sichern 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs sichern

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sicherte and sicherten apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
sicherte
9 ch
sicherten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sicherte ([ˈzɪçɐtə]) and sicherten ([ˈzɪçɐtn̩]) 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) - “sicherte” sits inside “sicherten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32754, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sicherte is recorded at frequency rank #8,627, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzɪçɐtə]. sicherten is at rank #24,127, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈzɪçɐtn̩].

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 32754, this pair ranks #1,700,717 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sicherte vs sicherten

Shared letters: cehirst. Private to "sicherte": -. Private to "sicherten": n.

"sicherte" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV  ·  "sicherten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sicherteischerte · sciherte · siccherte · sicehrte · sicheret · sicherrte · sichertte · sichetre
  • sichertenischerten · sciherten · siccherten · sicehrten · sicheretn · sicherrten · sichertenn · sichertne

Frequency comparison

sicherte#8,627
sicherten#24,127

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sicherte" and "sicherten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzɪçɐtə] versus [ˈzɪçɐtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sicherte" or "sicherten"?
"sicherte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,627 in our German list, against #24,127 for "sicherten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sicherte vs sicherten

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 “sicherte” 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