tickenvsticktWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,723
“ticken” frequency rank
#17,742
“tickt” frequency rank
36465
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ticken tickt
Definition „Ticktack“ machen wie eine mechanische Uhr 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs ticken

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
ticken
5 ch
tickt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ticken ([ˈtɪkn̩]) and tickt ([tɪkt]) 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 36465, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ticken is recorded at frequency rank #18,723, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtɪkn̩]. tickt is at rank #17,742, tagged as averb, pronounced [tɪkt].

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 36465, this pair ranks #1,614,945 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ticken vs tickt

Shared letters: cikt. Private to "ticken": en. Private to "tickt": -.

"ticken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "tickt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tickenitcken · tciken · ticcken · ticekn · tickenn · tickken · tickne · tikcen
  • ticktitckt · tcikt · ticckt · tickkt · ticktt · tictk · tikct · ttickt

Frequency comparison

ticken#18,723
tickt#17,742

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ticken" and "tickt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtɪkn̩] versus [tɪkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ticken" or "tickt"?
"tickt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,742 in our German list, against #18,723 for "ticken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ticken vs tickt

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 “ticken” 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