Which to use
“zünden” and “zündete” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,788
- “zünden” frequency rank
- #35,587
- “zündete” frequency rank
- 53375
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zünden | zündete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas in Brand stecken oder einen Verbrennungsprozess in Gang setzen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zünden |
Where the eye mixes zünden and zündete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. zünden runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against zündete's 7 (CVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: zünden vs zündete
A purely visual mix-up. zünden ([ˈt͡sʏndn̩]) and zündete ([ˈt͡sʏndətə]) 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 53375, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zünden is recorded at frequency rank #17,788, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sʏndn̩]. zündete is at rank #35,587, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sʏndətə].
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 53375, this pair ranks #1,060,492 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zünden vs zündete
Shared letters: denzü. Private to "zünden": -. Private to "zündete": t.
"zünden" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "zündete" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zünden" and "zündete" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "zünden" or "zündete" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "zünden" and "zündete" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "zünden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zündete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,060,492 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zünden" and "zündete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zündete vs Zünfte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,060,492 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.