Which to use
“zweifeln” and “zweifelte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,309
- “zweifeln” frequency rank
- #44,394
- “zweifelte” frequency rank
- 53703
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zweifeln | zweifelte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Zweifeln ausgesetzt sein, sich nicht recht entscheiden können und unsicher sein | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs zweifeln |
Where the eye mixes zweifeln and zweifelte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. zweifeln runs 8 letters (CCVVCVCC) against zweifelte's 9 (CCVVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zweifeln with zweifelte
A purely visual mix-up. zweifeln ([ˈt͡svaɪ̯fl̩n]) and zweifelte ([ˈt͡svaɪ̯fl̩tə]) 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 53703, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zweifeln is recorded at frequency rank #9,309, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡svaɪ̯fl̩n]. zweifelte is at rank #44,394, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡svaɪ̯fl̩tə].
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 53703, this pair ranks #1,047,660 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zweifeln vs zweifelte
Shared letters: efilwz. Private to "zweifeln": n. Private to "zweifelte": t.
"zweifeln" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCVCC · "zweifelte" · 9 letters · shape CCVVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zweifeln" for "zweifelte" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "zweifeln" or "zweifelte" show up more?
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 "zweifeln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zweifelte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,047,660 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zweifeln" and "zweifelte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zweifelte vs zweifle". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,047,660 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.