zeigtvszeigtenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“zeigt” and “zeigten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#399
“zeigt” frequency rank
#4,089
“zeigten” frequency rank
4488
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zeigt zeigten
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zeigen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zeigen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zeigt and zeigten apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
zeigt
7 ch
zeigten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. zeigt ([t͡saɪ̯kt]) and zeigten ([ˈt͡saɪ̯ktn̩]) 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) - “zeigt” sits inside “zeigten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4488, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zeigt is recorded at frequency rank #399, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡saɪ̯kt]. zeigten is at rank #4,089, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡saɪ̯ktn̩].

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 4488, this pair ranks #1,997,578 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of zeigt vs zeigten

Shared letters: egitz. Private to "zeigt": -. Private to "zeigten": n.

"zeigt" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC  ·  "zeigten" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • zeigtezigt · zegit · zeiggt · zeigtt · zeitg · ziegt · zzeigt
  • zeigtenezigten · zegiten · zeigetn · zeiggten · zeigtenn · zeigtne · zeigtten · zeitgen

Frequency comparison

zeigt#399
zeigten#4,089

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zeigt" and "zeigten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t͡saɪ̯kt] versus [ˈt͡saɪ̯ktn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "zeigt" or "zeigten"?
"zeigt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #399 in our German list, against #4,089 for "zeigten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering zeigt vs zeigten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “zeigt” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list