Which to use
“zurückkehren” and “zurückkehrte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,791
- “zurückkehren” frequency rank
- #19,465
- “zurückkehrte” frequency rank
- 25256
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurückkehren | zurückkehrte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | wieder an den Ausgangspunkt gehen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs zurückkehren |
Where the eye mixes zurückkehren and zurückkehrte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. zurückkehren (CVCVCCCVCCVC) and zurückkehrte (CVCVCCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between zurückkehren and zurückkehrte
A purely visual mix-up. zurückkehren ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːʁən]) and zurückkehrte ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːɐ̯tə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25256, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zurückkehren is recorded at frequency rank #5,791, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːʁən]. zurückkehrte is at rank #19,465, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːɐ̯tə].
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 25256, this pair ranks #1,835,924 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zurückkehren vs zurückkehrte
Shared letters: cehkruzü. Private to "zurückkehren": n. Private to "zurückkehrte": t.
"zurückkehren" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC · "zurückkehrte" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zurückkehren" and "zurückkehrte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "zurückkehren" or "zurückkehrte"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückkehren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückkehrte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,835,924 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurückkehren" and "zurückkehrte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurückkehrte vs zurückkehrten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,835,924 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.