Which to use
“fallen” and “folgen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #968
- “fallen” frequency rank
- #566
- “folgen” frequency rank
- 1534
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fallen | folgen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich unkontrolliert von oben nach unten bewegen (durch die Gravitation) | jemandem oder etwas hinterhergehen oder auch hinterherfahren |
Where the eye mixes fallen and folgen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fallen vs folgen
A purely visual mix-up. fallen ([ˈfalən]) and folgen ([ˈfɔlɡn̩]) 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 1534, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fallen is recorded at frequency rank #968, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfalən]. folgen is at rank #566, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfɔlɡn̩].
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 1534, this pair ranks #2,004,168 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fallen vs folgen
Shared letters: efln. Private to "fallen": a. Private to "folgen": go.
"fallen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "folgen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fallen" for "folgen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fallen" vs "folgen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fallen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "folgen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,004,168 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fallen" and "folgen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Felge vs folgen". 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 #2,004,168 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.