tagenvstagteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#608
“tagen” frequency rank
#33,331
“tagte” frequency rank
33939
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tagen tagte
Definition Tag werden 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs tagen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tagen and tagte apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
tagen
5 ch
tagte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tagen ([ˈtaːɡn̩]) and tagte ([ˈtaːktə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33939, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tagen is recorded at frequency rank #608, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtaːɡn̩]. tagte is at rank #33,331, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtaːktə].

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 33939, this pair ranks #1,674,669 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tagen vs tagte

Shared letters: aegt. Private to "tagen": n. Private to "tagte": -.

"tagen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "tagte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tagenatgen · taegn · tagenn · taggen · tagne · tgaen · ttagen
  • tagteatgte · taget · taggte · tagtte · tatge · tgate · ttagte

Frequency comparison

tagen#608
tagte#33,331

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tagen" and "tagte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtaːɡn̩] versus [ˈtaːktə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tagen" or "tagte"?
"tagen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #608 in our German list, against #33,331 for "tagte". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering tagen vs tagte

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 “tagen” 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