solltvssolltenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,632
“sollt” frequency rank
#347
“sollten” frequency rank
9979
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sollt sollten
Definition 2. Person Plural Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sollen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs sollen

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
sollt
7 ch
sollten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sollt ([zɔlt]) and sollten ([ˈzɔltn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “sollt” sits inside “sollten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9979, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sollt is recorded at frequency rank #9,632, classified as averb, pronounced [zɔlt]. sollten is at rank #347, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈzɔltn̩].

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 9979, this pair ranks #1,977,368 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sollt vs sollten

Shared letters: lost. Private to "sollt": -. Private to "sollten": en.

"sollt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "sollten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • solltosllt · slolt · solltt · solt · soltl · ssollt
  • solltenosllten · slolten · solletn · solltenn · solltne · solltten · solten · soltlen

Frequency comparison

sollt#9,632
sollten#347

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sollt" and "sollten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([zɔlt] versus [ˈzɔltn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sollt" or "sollten"?
"sollten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #347 in our German list, against #9,632 for "sollt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering sollt vs sollten

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 “sollt” 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