teiltenvstilgenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,226
“teilten” frequency rank
#29,367
“tilgen” frequency rank
44593
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature teilten tilgen
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs teilen geliehenes Geld (oder allgemein Schulden) wieder zurückzahlen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
teilten
6 ch
tilgen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. teilten ([ˈtaɪ̯ltn̩]) and tilgen ([ˈtɪlɡn̩]) 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 44593, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

teilten is recorded at frequency rank #15,226, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtaɪ̯ltn̩]. tilgen is at rank #29,367, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtɪlɡn̩].

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 44593, this pair ranks #1,381,156 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of teilten vs tilgen

Shared letters: eilnt. Private to "teilten": -. Private to "tilgen": g.

"teilten" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC  ·  "tilgen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • teiltenetilten · teiletn · teillten · teiltenn · teiltne · teiltten · teitlen · teliten
  • tilgenitlgen · tiglen · tilegn · tilgenn · tilggen · tilgne · tillgen · tligen

Frequency comparison

teilten#15,226
tilgen#29,367

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "teilten" and "tilgen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtaɪ̯ltn̩] versus [ˈtɪlɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "teilten" or "tilgen"?
"teilten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,226 in our German list, against #29,367 for "tilgen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering teilten vs tilgen

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 “teilten” 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