teilenvsteiltenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,023
“teilen” frequency rank
#15,226
“teilten” frequency rank
16249
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set teilen and teilten apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
teilen
7 ch
teilten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. teilen ([ˈtaɪ̯lən]) and teilten ([ˈtaɪ̯ltn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16249, 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]. teilten is at rank #15,226, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtaɪ̯ltn̩].

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 16249, this pair ranks #1,937,383 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of teilen vs teilten

Shared letters: eilnt. Private to "teilen": -. Private to "teilten": -.

"teilen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "teilten" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • teilenetilen · teieln · teilenn · teillen · teilne · telien · tielen · tteilen
  • teiltenetilten · teiletn · teillten · teiltenn · teiltne · teiltten · teitlen · teliten

Frequency comparison

teilen#1,023
teilten#15,226

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "teilen" and "teilten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtaɪ̯lən] versus [ˈtaɪ̯ltn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "teilen" or "teilten"?
"teilen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,023 in our German list, against #15,226 for "teilten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering teilen vs teilten

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