Which to use
“zündet” and “zündete” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,221
- “zündet” frequency rank
- #35,587
- “zündete” frequency rank
- 59808
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zündet | zündete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zünden | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zünden |
Where the eye mixes zündet and zündete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. zündet 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.
Visual trap between zündet and zündete
A purely visual mix-up. zündet ([ˈt͡sʏndət]) 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 extra letter(s) - “zündet” sits inside “zündete”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59808, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zündet is recorded at frequency rank #24,221, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡sʏndət]. 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 59808, this pair ranks #810,562 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zündet vs zündete
Shared letters: dentzü. Private to "zündet": -. Private to "zündete": -.
"zündet" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "zündete" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zündet" and "zündete" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "zündet" vs "zündete" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zündet" 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 #810,562 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zündet" and "zündete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zündete vs Zünfte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #810,562 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.