Which to use
“fassen” and “fasste” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,115
- “fassen” frequency rank
- #10,278
- “fasste” frequency rank
- 13393
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fassen | fasste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas greifen und festhalten | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs fassen |
Where the eye mixes fassen and fasste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. fassen (CVCCVC) and fasste (CVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: fassen vs fasste
A purely visual mix-up. fassen ([ˈfasn̩]) and fasste ([ˈfastə]) 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 13393, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fassen is recorded at frequency rank #3,115, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfasn̩]. fasste is at rank #10,278, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfastə].
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 13393, this pair ranks #1,958,284 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fassen vs fasste
Shared letters: aefs. Private to "fassen": n. Private to "fasste": t.
"fassen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "fasste" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fassen" for "fasste" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "fassen" or "fasste" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fassen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fasste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,958,284 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fassen" and "fasste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fasste vs fassten". 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 #1,958,284 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.