Which to use
“taken” is an adjective and “täte” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,860
- “taken” frequency rank
- #17,434
- “täte” frequency rank
- 60294
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | taken | täte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tak | 1. Person Singular Konjunktiv Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs tun |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set taken and täte apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: taken is [ˈtakn̩] while täte is [ˈtɛːtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60294, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
taken is recorded at frequency rank #42,860, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈtakn̩]. täte is at rank #17,434, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtɛːtə].
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 60294, this pair ranks #792,342 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of taken vs täte
Shared letters: et. Private to "taken": akn. Private to "täte": ä.
"taken" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "täte" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- taken ← taekn · takenn · takken · tkaen · ttaken
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "taken" and "täte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "taken" or "täte"?
Remembering taken vs täte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “taken”; for a verb, it's “täte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “taken” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable