teilenvsteilteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,023
“teilen” frequency rank
#5,542
“teilte” frequency rank
6565
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature teilen teilte
Definition ein Ganzes in Bestandteile zerlegen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs teilen

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
teilen
6 ch
teilte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. teilen ([ˈtaɪ̯lən]) and teilte ([ˈtaɪ̯ltə]) 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 6565, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

teilen is recorded at frequency rank #1,023, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtaɪ̯lən]. teilte is at rank #5,542, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtaɪ̯ltə].

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 6565, this pair ranks #1,991,207 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of teilen vs teilte

Shared letters: eilt. Private to "teilen": n. Private to "teilte": -.

"teilen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "teilte" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • teilenetilen · teieln · teilenn · teillen · teilne · telien · tielen · tteilen
  • teilteetilte · teilet · teillte · teiltte · teitle · telite · tielte · tteilte

Frequency comparison

teilen#1,023
teilte#5,542

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "teilen" and "teilte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtaɪ̯lən] versus [ˈtaɪ̯ltə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "teilen" or "teilte"?
"teilen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,023 in our German list, against #5,542 for "teilte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering teilen vs teilte

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 “teilen” 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