fasstevsFäusteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: fasste is a verb, Fäuste is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“fasste” is a verb and “Fäuste” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,278
“fasste” frequency rank
#26,421
“Fäuste” frequency rank
36699
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fasste Fäuste
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs fassen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Faust

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
fasste
6 ch
Fäuste

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fasste is [ˈfastə] while Fäuste is [ˈfɔɪ̯stə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36699, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fasste is recorded at frequency rank #10,278, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfastə]. Fäuste is at rank #26,421, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɔɪ̯stə].

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 36699, this pair ranks #1,608,918 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fasste vs Fäuste

Shared letters: efst. Private to "fasste": a. Private to "Fäuste": .

"fasste" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "Fäuste" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fassteafsste · fasset · fasstte · faste · fastse · faßte · ffasste · fsaste

Frequency comparison

fasste#10,278
Fäuste#26,421

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fasste" and "Fäuste" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fasste" is a verb and "Fäuste" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "fasste" or "Fäuste"?
"fasste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,278 in our German list, against #26,421 for "Fäuste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fasste vs Fäuste

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “fasste”; for a noun, it's “Fäuste”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fasste” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list