Which to use
“fällst” and “fehlst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,046
- “fällst” frequency rank
- #29,124
- “fehlst” frequency rank
- 61170
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fällst | fehlst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fallen | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fehlen |
Where the eye mixes fällst and fehlst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. fällst and fehlst follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses fällst with fehlst
A purely visual mix-up. fällst ([fɛlst]) and fehlst ([feːlst]) 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 61170, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fällst is recorded at frequency rank #32,046, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛlst]. fehlst is at rank #29,124, tagged as averb, pronounced [feːlst].
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 61170, this pair ranks #759,729 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fällst vs fehlst
Shared letters: flst. Private to "fällst": ä. Private to "fehlst": eh.
"fällst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC · "fehlst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- fehlst ← efhlst · fehhlst · fehllst · fehlsst · fehlstt · fehlts · fehslt · felhst
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fällst" for "fehlst" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fällst" or "fehlst"?
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 "fällst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fehlst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #759,729 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fällst" and "fehlst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "feels vs fehlst". 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 #759,729 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.