Which to use
“zählt” and “zählten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,499
- “zählt” frequency rank
- #14,219
- “zählten” frequency rank
- 15718
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zählt | zählten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zählen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zählen |
Where the eye mixes zählt and zählten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zählt runs 5 letters (CVCCC) against zählten's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: zählt vs zählten
A purely visual mix-up. zählt ([t͡sɛːlt]) and zählten ([ˈt͡sɛːltn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “zählt” sits inside “zählten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15718, 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]. zählten is at rank #14,219, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sɛːltn̩].
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 15718, this pair ranks #1,941,696 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zählt vs zählten
Shared letters: hltzä. Private to "zählt": -. Private to "zählten": en.
"zählt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "zählten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zählt" for "zählten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "zählt" vs "zählten" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "zählten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,941,696 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zählt" and "zählten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Zählern vs zählten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,941,696 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.