fachenvsfandenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,116
“fachen” frequency rank
#1,591
“fanden” frequency rank
30707
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fachen fanden
Definition machen, dass es (gut) brennt 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs finden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fachen and fanden apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
fachen
6 ch
fanden

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fachen ([ˈfaxn̩]) and fanden ([ˈfandn̩]) 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 30707, 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]. fanden is at rank #1,591, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfandn̩].

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 30707, this pair ranks #1,742,625 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fachen vs fanden

Shared letters: aefn. Private to "fachen": ch. Private to "fanden": d.

"fachen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "fanden" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fachenafchen · facchen · facehn · fachenn · fachhen · fachne · fahcen · fcahen
  • fandenafnden · fadnen · fandden · fandenn · fandne · fanedn · fannden · ffanden

Frequency comparison

fachen#29,116
fanden#1,591

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fachen" and "fanden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfaxn̩] versus [ˈfandn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fachen" or "fanden"?
"fanden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,591 in our German list, against #29,116 for "fachen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fachen vs fanden

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 “fachen” 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