fallenvsfülltenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#968
“fallen” frequency rank
#32,541
“füllten” frequency rank
33509
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fallen füllten
Definition sich unkontrolliert von oben nach unten bewegen (durch die Gravitation) 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs füllen

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
fallen
7 ch
füllten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fallen ([ˈfalən]) and füllten ([ˈfʏltn̩]) 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 33509, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fallen is recorded at frequency rank #968, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfalən]. füllten is at rank #32,541, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfʏltn̩].

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 33509, this pair ranks #1,684,430 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fallen vs füllten

Shared letters: efln. Private to "fallen": a. Private to "füllten": .

"fallen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "füllten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fallenafllen · faleln · falen · fallenn · fallne · ffallen · flalen

Frequency comparison

fallen#968
füllten#32,541

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fallen" and "füllten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfalən] versus [ˈfʏltn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fallen" or "füllten"?
"fallen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #968 in our German list, against #32,541 for "füllten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fallen vs füllten

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 “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