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 eye mixes zeigt and zeigten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zeigt runs 5 letters (CVVCC) against zeigten's 7 (CVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between zeigt and zeigten
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zeigt" and "zeigten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "zeigt" or "zeigten"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zeigt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zeigten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,997,578 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zeigt" and "zeigten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zeigten vs zeugte". 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 #1,997,578 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.