Which to use
“würdigen” and “würdigte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,637
- “würdigen” frequency rank
- #28,027
- “würdigte” frequency rank
- 40664
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | würdigen | würdigte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandes Leistung anerkennen, jemanden öffentlich wertschätzen und loben | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs würdigen |
Where the eye mixes würdigen and würdigte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. würdigen (CVCCVCVC) and würdigte (CVCCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between würdigen and würdigte
A purely visual mix-up. würdigen ([ˈvʏʁdɪɡn̩]) and würdigte ([ˈvʏʁdɪçtə]) 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 40664, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
würdigen is recorded at frequency rank #12,637, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvʏʁdɪɡn̩]. würdigte is at rank #28,027, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvʏʁdɪçtə].
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 40664, this pair ranks #1,501,946 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of würdigen vs würdigte
Shared letters: degirwü. Private to "würdigen": n. Private to "würdigte": t.
"würdigen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "würdigte" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "würdigen" and "würdigte" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "würdigen" or "würdigte" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "würdigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "würdigte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,501,946 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "würdigen" and "würdigte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "würdige vs würdigte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,501,946 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.