Which to use
“fachen” and “fasten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,116
- “fachen” frequency rank
- #15,357
- “fasten” frequency rank
- 44473
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fachen | fasten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | machen, dass es (gut) brennt | (aus körperlichen oder religiösen Gründen) für eine bestimmte Zeit auf alle oder gewisse Nahrung verzichten |
Where the eye mixes fachen and fasten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. fachen and fasten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between fachen and fasten
A purely visual mix-up. fachen ([ˈfaxn̩]) and fasten ([ˈfastn̩]) 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 44473, 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]. fasten is at rank #15,357, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfastn̩].
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 44473, this pair ranks #1,385,084 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fachen vs fasten
Shared letters: aefn. Private to "fachen": ch. Private to "fasten": st.
"fachen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "fasten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fachen" and "fasten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fachen" or "fasten"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fachen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fasten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,385,084 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fachen" and "fasten" 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 #1,385,084 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.