fängt vs fegt, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#3,037
“fängt” frequency rank: #42,482
“fegt” frequency rank: 45519
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	fängt	fegt
Definition	3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fangen	2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fegen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fängt and fegt apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch

fängt

4 ch

fegt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fängt ([fɛŋt]) and fegt ([feːkt]) 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 45519, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fängt is recorded at frequency rank #3,037, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛŋt]. fegt is at rank #42,482, tagged as averb, pronounced [feːkt].

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 45519, this pair ranks #1,350,258 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of fängt vs fegt

Shared letters: fgt. Private to "fängt": nä. Private to "fegt": e.

"fängt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "fegt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

fegt ← efgt · feggt · fegtt · fetg · ffegt · fget

Frequency comparison

fängt#3,037

fegt#42,482

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fängt" and "fegt" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([fɛŋt] versus [feːkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "fängt" or "fegt"?

"fängt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,037 in our German list, against #42,482 for "fegt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fängt vs fegt

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 “fängt” entry
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