Which to use
“wählen” and “wählte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #984
- “wählen” frequency rank
- #8,490
- “wählte” frequency rank
- 9474
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wählen | wählte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich für eine von mehreren Möglichkeiten entscheiden | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs wählen |
Where the eye mixes wählen and wählte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. wählen (CVCCVC) and wählte (CVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between wählen and wählte
A purely visual mix-up. wählen ([ˈvɛːlən]) and wählte ([ˈvɛːltə]) 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 9474, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wählen is recorded at frequency rank #984, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvɛːlən]. wählte is at rank #8,490, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvɛːltə].
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 9474, this pair ranks #1,979,779 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wählen vs wählte
Shared letters: ehlwä. Private to "wählen": n. Private to "wählte": t.
"wählen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "wählte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "wählen" and "wählte" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "wählen" or "wählte" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "wählen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "wählte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,979,779 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "wählen" and "wählte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "wählte vs waste". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,979,779 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.