Which to use
“fachen” is a verb and “Fackel” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,116
- “fachen” frequency rank
- #23,119
- “Fackel” frequency rank
- 52235
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fachen | Fackel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | machen, dass es (gut) brennt | zumeist mit geeigneten brennbaren Stoffen (vor allem Teerprodukte, Harz, Wachs) am oberen Ende beschichteter, tragbarer, stabähnlicher (hölzerner) Gegenstand, dessen Flamme hell leuchtet |
Where the eye mixes fachen and Fackel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fachen with Fackel
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fachen is [ˈfaxn̩] while Fackel is [ˈfakl̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52235, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fachen is recorded at frequency rank #29,116, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfaxn̩]. Fackel is at rank #23,119, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfakl̩].
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 52235, this pair ranks #1,104,778 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fachen vs Fackel
Shared letters: acef. Private to "fachen": hn. Private to "Fackel": kl.
"fachen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Fackel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fachen" for "Fackel" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fachen" or "Fackel"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "fachen" and "Fackel" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fachen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Fackel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,104,778 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fachen" and "Fackel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fachen vs Fachs". 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 #1,104,778 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.