fegenvsfielenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#33,040
“fegen” frequency rank
#5,081
“fielen” frequency rank
38121
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fegen fielen
Definition mit einem Besen entfernen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs fallen

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
fegen
6 ch
fielen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fegen ([ˈfeːɡn̩]) and fielen ([ˈfiːlən]) 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 38121, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fegen is recorded at frequency rank #33,040, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfeːɡn̩]. fielen is at rank #5,081, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfiːlən].

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 38121, this pair ranks #1,572,232 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fegen vs fielen

Shared letters: efn. Private to "fegen": g. Private to "fielen": il.

"fegen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "fielen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fegenefgen · feegn · fegenn · feggen · fegne · ffegen · fgeen
  • fielenffielen · fieeln · fielenn · fiellen · fielne · fileen · ifelen

Frequency comparison

fegen#33,040
fielen#5,081

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fegen" and "fielen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfeːɡn̩] versus [ˈfiːlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fegen" or "fielen"?
"fielen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,081 in our German list, against #33,040 for "fegen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fegen vs fielen

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 “fegen” 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