Which to use
“zeigte” and “zeigten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,648
- “zeigte” frequency rank
- #4,089
- “zeigten” frequency rank
- 5737
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zeigte | zeigten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum des Verbs zeigen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zeigen |
Where the eye mixes zeigte and zeigten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. zeigte runs 6 letters (CVVCCV) against zeigten's 7 (CVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zeigte with zeigten
A purely visual mix-up. zeigte ([ˈt͡saɪ̯ktə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “zeigte” sits inside “zeigten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5737, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zeigte is recorded at frequency rank #1,648, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡saɪ̯ktə]. 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 5737, this pair ranks #1,993,886 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zeigte vs zeigten
Shared letters: egitz. Private to "zeigte": -. Private to "zeigten": n.
"zeigte" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "zeigten" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zeigte" for "zeigten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "zeigte" vs "zeigten" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zeigte" 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 #1,993,886 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zeigte" 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 #1,993,886 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.