FährevsFährteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,659
“Fähre” frequency rank
#33,594
“Fährte” frequency rank
44253
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Fähre Fährte
Definition spezielles Schiff, das der (gewerbsmäßigen) Beförderung von Personen und/oder Transportmitteln von Ufer zu Ufer dient Fußabdrücke (eines Tieres) auf dem Boden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Fähre and Fährte apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Fähre
6 ch
Fährte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Fähre ([ˈfɛːʁə]) and Fährte ([ˈfɛːɐ̯tə]) 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 44253, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Fähre is recorded at frequency rank #10,659, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɛːʁə]. Fährte is at rank #33,594, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɛːɐ̯tə].

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 44253, this pair ranks #1,392,081 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Fähre vs Fährte

Shared letters: efhrä. Private to "Fähre": -. Private to "Fährte": t.

"Fähre" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Fährte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Frequency comparison

Fähre#10,659
Fährte#33,594

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Fähre" and "Fährte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɛːʁə] versus [ˈfɛːɐ̯tə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Fähre" or "Fährte"?
"Fähre" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,659 in our German list, against #33,594 for "Fährte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Fähre vs Fährte

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 “Fähre” 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