Which to use
“fängt” and “fing” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,037
- “fängt” frequency rank
- #5,167
- “fing” frequency rank
- 8204
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fängt | fing |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fangen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs fangen |
Where the eye mixes fängt and fing
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between fängt and fing
A purely visual mix-up. fängt ([fɛŋt]) and fing ([fɪŋ]) 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 8204, 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]. fing is at rank #5,167, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɪŋ].
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 8204, this pair ranks #1,985,228 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fängt vs fing
Shared letters: fgn. Private to "fängt": tä. Private to "fing": i.
"fängt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "fing" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- fing ← ffing · fign · fingg · finng · fnig · ifng
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fängt" for "fing" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fängt" vs "fing" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "fängt" and "fing" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fängt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fing" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,985,228 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fängt" and "fing" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fing vs fist". 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 #1,985,228 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.