fassenvsfasstenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,115
“fassen” frequency rank
#42,481
“fassten” frequency rank
45596
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fassen fassten
Definition etwas greifen und festhalten 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs fassen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fassen and fassten apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
fassen
7 ch
fassten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fassen ([ˈfasn̩]) and fassten ([ˈfastn̩]) 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 45596, 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]. fassten is at rank #42,481, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfastn̩].

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 45596, this pair ranks #1,347,684 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of fassen vs fassten

Shared letters: aefns. Private to "fassen": -. Private to "fassten": t.

"fassen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "fassten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fassenafssen · fasen · fasesn · fassenn · fassne · faßen · ffassen · fsasen
  • fasstenafssten · fassetn · fasstenn · fasstne · fasstten · fastsen · faßten · ffassten

Frequency comparison

fassen#3,115
fassten#42,481

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fassen" and "fassten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfasn̩] versus [ˈfastn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fassen" or "fassten"?
"fassen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,115 in our German list, against #42,481 for "fassten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fassen vs fassten

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 “fassen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list