Which to use
“zögert” and “zögerte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,407
- “zögert” frequency rank
- #35,586
- “zögerte” frequency rank
- 65993
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zögert | zögerte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zögern | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zögern |
Where the eye mixes zögert and zögerte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. zögert 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.
Visual trap between zögert and zögerte
A purely visual mix-up. zögert ([ˈt͡søːɡɐt]) 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 extra letter(s) - “zögert” sits inside “zögerte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65993, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zögert is recorded at frequency rank #30,407, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡søːɡɐt]. 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 65993, this pair ranks #588,120 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zögert vs zögerte
Shared letters: egrtzö. Private to "zögert": -. Private to "zögerte": -.
"zögert" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "zögerte" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zögert" and "zögerte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "zögert" vs "zögerte" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "zögert" 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 #588,120 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zögert" and "zögerte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ziert vs zögert". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #588,120 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.