Which to use
“zögern” and “zögerte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,785
- “zögern” frequency rank
- #35,586
- “zögerte” frequency rank
- 46371
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zögern | zögerte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas aufschieben, nicht sofort tun | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zögern |
Where the eye mixes zögern and zögerte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zögern runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against zögerte's 7 (CVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: zögern vs zögerte
A purely visual mix-up. zögern ([ˈt͡søːɡɐn]) and zögerte ([ˈt͡søːɡɐtə]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46371, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zögern is recorded at frequency rank #10,785, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡søːɡɐn]. zögerte is at rank #35,586, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡søːɡɐtə].
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 46371, this pair ranks #1,321,349 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zögern vs zögerte
Shared letters: egrzö. Private to "zögern": n. Private to "zögerte": t.
"zögern" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "zögerte" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zögern" and "zögerte" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "zögern" vs "zögerte" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "zögern" and "zögerte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "zögern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zögerte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,321,349 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zögern" and "zögerte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zögert vs zögerte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,321,349 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.