Which to use
“zählt” and “zählte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,499
- “zählt” frequency rank
- #7,557
- “zählte” frequency rank
- 9056
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zählt | zählte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zählen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zählen |
Where the eye mixes zählt and zählte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zählt runs 5 letters (CVCCC) against zählte's 6 (CVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between zählt and zählte
A purely visual mix-up. zählt ([t͡sɛːlt]) 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 extra letter(s) - “zählt” sits inside “zählte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9056, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zählt is recorded at frequency rank #1,499, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡sɛːlt]. 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 9056, this pair ranks #1,981,633 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zählt vs zählte
Shared letters: hltzä. Private to "zählt": -. Private to "zählte": e.
"zählt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "zählte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zählt" and "zählte" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "zählt" vs "zählte" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zählt" 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 #1,981,633 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zählt" and "zählte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zähe vs zählte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,981,633 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.