Which to use
“zeichne” and “zeichnete” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,209
- “zeichne” frequency rank
- #10,400
- “zeichnete” frequency rank
- 34609
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zeichne | zeichnete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zeichnen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum des Verbs zeichnen |
Where the eye mixes zeichne and zeichnete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. zeichne runs 7 letters (CVVCCCV) against zeichnete's 9 (CVVCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between zeichne and zeichnete
A purely visual mix-up. zeichne ([ˈt͡saɪ̯çnə]) and zeichnete ([ˈt͡saɪ̯çnətə]) 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) - “zeichne” sits inside “zeichnete”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34609, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zeichne is recorded at frequency rank #24,209, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡saɪ̯çnə]. zeichnete is at rank #10,400, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡saɪ̯çnətə].
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 34609, this pair ranks #1,659,343 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zeichne vs zeichnete
Shared letters: cehinz. Private to "zeichne": -. Private to "zeichnete": t.
"zeichne" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCCV · "zeichnete" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zeichne" for "zeichnete" ever safe?
Frequency check: "zeichne" vs "zeichnete" - 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 "zeichne" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zeichnete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,659,343 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zeichne" and "zeichnete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Zeichens vs zeichne". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,659,343 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.