zurückkehrtvszurückkehrtenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“zurückkehrt” and “zurückkehrten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#17,195
“zurückkehrt” frequency rank
#42,971
“zurückkehrten” frequency rank
60166
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zurückkehrt zurückkehrten
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs zurückkehren 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs zurückkehren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zurückkehrt and zurückkehrten apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
zurückkehrt
13 ch
zurückkehrten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. zurückkehrt ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːɐ̯t]) and zurückkehrten ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːɐ̯tn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “zurückkehrt” sits inside “zurückkehrten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60166, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zurückkehrt is recorded at frequency rank #17,195, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːɐ̯t]. zurückkehrten is at rank #42,971, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːɐ̯tn̩].

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 60166, this pair ranks #797,045 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of zurückkehrt vs zurückkehrten

Shared letters: cehkrtuzü. Private to "zurückkehrt": -. Private to "zurückkehrten": n.

"zurückkehrt" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCC  ·  "zurückkehrten" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCCVC

Frequency comparison

zurückkehrt#17,195
zurückkehrten#42,971

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zurückkehrt" and "zurückkehrten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːɐ̯t] versus [t͡suˈʁʏkˌkeːɐ̯tn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "zurückkehrt" or "zurückkehrten"?
"zurückkehrt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,195 in our German list, against #42,971 for "zurückkehrten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering zurückkehrt vs zurückkehrten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “zurückkehrt” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list