fassenvsfussesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,115
“fassen” frequency rank
#33,054
“fusses” frequency rank
36169
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fassen fusses
Definition etwas greifen und festhalten 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fuss

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fassen and fusses apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
fassen
6 ch
fusses

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

fassen and fusses are indexed as a confusable German pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36169, 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]. fusses is at rank #33,054, tagged as averb, pronounced […].

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 36169, this pair ranks #1,622,287 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fassen vs fusses

Shared letters: efs. Private to "fassen": an. Private to "fusses": u.

"fassen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "fusses" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fassenafssen · fasen · fasesn · fassenn · fassne · faßen · ffassen · fsasen
  • fussesffusses · fsuses · fusess · fussess · fussse · fußes · ufsses

Frequency comparison

fassen#3,115
fusses#33,054

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fassen" and "fusses" be used interchangeably?
No. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "fassen" or "fusses"?
"fassen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,115 in our German list, against #33,054 for "fusses". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fassen vs fusses

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