zeigtevszeigtenWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zeigte and zeigten apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
zeigte
7 ch
zeigten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • zeigteezigte · zegite · zeiget · zeiggte · zeigtte · zeitge · ziegte · zzeigte
  • zeigtenezigten · zegiten · zeigetn · zeiggten · zeigtenn · zeigtne · zeigtten · zeitgen

Frequency comparison

zeigte#1,648
zeigten#4,089

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zeigte" and "zeigten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt͡saɪ̯ktə] versus [ˈt͡saɪ̯ktn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "zeigte" or "zeigten"?
"zeigte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,648 in our German list, against #4,089 for "zeigten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering zeigte 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 “zeigte” 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