Which to use
“fassen” and “fressen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,115
- “fassen” frequency rank
- #5,482
- “fressen” frequency rank
- 8597
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fassen | fressen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas greifen und festhalten | feste Nahrung einnehmen |
Where the eye mixes fassen and fressen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fassen with fressen
A purely visual mix-up. fassen ([ˈfasn̩]) and fressen ([ˈfʁɛsn̩]) 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 8597, 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]. fressen is at rank #5,482, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfʁɛsn̩].
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 8597, this pair ranks #1,983,678 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fassen vs fressen
Shared letters: efns. Private to "fassen": a. Private to "fressen": r.
"fassen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "fressen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fassen" and "fressen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "fassen" or "fressen" 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 "fressen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,983,678 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fassen" and "fressen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fessel vs fressen". 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 #1,983,678 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.