fallenvsFaxenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: fallen is a verb, Faxen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“fallen” is a verb and “Faxen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#968
“fallen” frequency rank
#34,090
“Faxen” frequency rank
35058
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fallen Faxen
Definition sich unkontrolliert von oben nach unten bewegen (durch die Gravitation) Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Faxe

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
fallen
5 ch
Faxen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fallen is [ˈfalən] while Faxen is [ˈfaksn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35058, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fallen is recorded at frequency rank #968, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfalən]. Faxen is at rank #34,090, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfaksn̩].

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 35058, this pair ranks #1,649,056 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fallen vs Faxen

Shared letters: aefn. Private to "fallen": l. Private to "Faxen": x.

"fallen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Faxen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fallenafllen · faleln · falen · fallenn · fallne · ffallen · flalen
  • Faxenafxen · faexn · faxenn · faxne · faxxen · ffaxen · fxaen

Frequency comparison

fallen#968
Faxen#34,090

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fallen" and "Faxen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fallen" is a verb and "Faxen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "fallen" or "Faxen"?
"fallen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #968 in our German list, against #34,090 for "Faxen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fallen vs Faxen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “fallen”; for a noun, it's “Faxen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fallen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list