Which to use
“fähigen” and “fälligen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,882
- “fähigen” frequency rank
- #32,045
- “fälligen” frequency rank
- 58927
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fähigen | fälligen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs fähig | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs fällig |
Where the eye mixes fähigen and fälligen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fähigen with fälligen
A purely visual mix-up. fähigen ([ˈfɛːɪɡn̩]) and fälligen ([ˈfɛlɪɡn̩]) 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 58927, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fähigen is recorded at frequency rank #26,882, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfɛːɪɡn̩]. fälligen is at rank #32,045, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfɛlɪɡn̩].
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 58927, this pair ranks #843,988 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fähigen vs fälligen
Shared letters: efginä. Private to "fähigen": h. Private to "fälligen": l.
"fähigen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "fälligen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fähigen" for "fälligen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fähigen" vs "fälligen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "fähigen" and "fälligen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fähigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fälligen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #843,988 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fähigen" and "fälligen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fällige vs fälligen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #843,988 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.