Which to use
“fangen” and “fegen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,270
- “fangen” frequency rank
- #33,040
- “fegen” frequency rank
- 37310
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fangen | fegen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden seiner Freiheit berauben | mit einem Besen entfernen |
Where the eye mixes fangen and fegen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. fangen runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against fegen's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: fangen vs fegen
A purely visual mix-up. fangen ([ˈfaŋən]) and fegen ([ˈfeːɡn̩]) 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 37310, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fangen is recorded at frequency rank #4,270, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfaŋən]. fegen is at rank #33,040, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfeːɡn̩].
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 37310, this pair ranks #1,593,538 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fangen vs fegen
Shared letters: efgn. Private to "fangen": a. Private to "fegen": -.
"fangen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "fegen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fangen" and "fegen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "fangen" or "fegen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fangen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fegen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,593,538 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fangen" and "fegen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fegen vs Felge". 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 #1,593,538 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.