Which to use
“fasten” and “foster” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,357
- “fasten” frequency rank
- #18,247
- “foster” frequency rank
- 33604
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fasten | foster |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (aus körperlichen oder religiösen Gründen) für eine bestimmte Zeit auf alle oder gewisse Nahrung verzichten | nähren, pflegen, aufziehen |
Where the eye mixes fasten and foster
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between fasten and foster
A purely visual mix-up. fasten ([ˈfastn̩]) and foster ([fɒstə(r)]) 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 33604, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fasten is recorded at frequency rank #15,357, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfastn̩]. foster is at rank #18,247, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɒstə(r)].
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 33604, this pair ranks #1,682,173 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fasten vs foster
Shared letters: efst. Private to "fasten": an. Private to "foster": or.
"fasten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "foster" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fasten" and "foster" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "fasten" vs "foster" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "fasten" and "foster" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fasten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "foster" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,682,173 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fasten" and "foster" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fasten vs fügten". 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 #1,682,173 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.