Which to use
“fate” is a noun and “fragte” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #35,761
- “fate” frequency rank
- #2,823
- “fragte” frequency rank
- 38584
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fate | fragte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die (eher leidlichen) Dinge oder Umstände, die jemandem widerfahren; Geschick, Schicksal | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs fragen |
Where the eye mixes fate and fragte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fate with fragte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fate is [feɪt] while fragte is [ˈfʁaːktə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38584, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fate is recorded at frequency rank #35,761, classified as anoun, pronounced [feɪt]. fragte is at rank #2,823, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfʁaːktə].
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 38584, this pair ranks #1,560,109 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fate vs fragte
Shared letters: aeft. Private to "fate": -. Private to "fragte": gr.
"fate" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "fragte" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fate" and "fragte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fate" or "fragte"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fate" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fragte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,560,109 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fate" and "fragte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fate vs flame". 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 #1,560,109 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.