Which to use
“zähle” and “zählte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,847
- “zähle” frequency rank
- #7,557
- “zählte” frequency rank
- 20404
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zähle | zählte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zählen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zählen |
Where the eye mixes zähle and zählte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zähle runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against zählte's 6 (CVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between zähle and zählte
A purely visual mix-up. zähle ([ˈt͡sɛːlə]) and zählte ([ˈt͡sɛːltə]) 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 20404, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zähle is recorded at frequency rank #12,847, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːlə]. zählte is at rank #7,557, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːltə].
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 20404, this pair ranks #1,898,044 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zähle vs zählte
Shared letters: ehlzä. Private to "zähle": -. Private to "zählte": t.
"zähle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "zählte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zähle" and "zählte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "zähle" or "zählte" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "zähle" and "zählte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "zähle" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zählte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,898,044 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zähle" and "zählte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zähle vs Zählern". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,898,044 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.