fegtvsfehltWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#42,482
“fegt” frequency rank
#950
“fehlt” frequency rank
43432
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fegt fehlt
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fegen Imperativ Plural (ihr) des Verbs fehlen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fegt and fehlt apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
fegt
5 ch
fehlt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fegt ([feːkt]) and fehlt ([feːlt]) 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 43432, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fegt is recorded at frequency rank #42,482, classified as averb, pronounced [feːkt]. fehlt is at rank #950, tagged as averb, pronounced [feːlt].

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 43432, this pair ranks #1,418,310 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of fegt vs fehlt

Shared letters: eft. Private to "fegt": g. Private to "fehlt": hl.

"fegt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "fehlt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fegtefgt · feggt · fegtt · fetg · ffegt · fget
  • fehltefhlt · fehhlt · fehllt · fehltt · fehtl · felht · ffehlt · fhelt

Frequency comparison

fegt#42,482
fehlt#950

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fegt" and "fehlt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([feːkt] versus [feːlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fegt" or "fehlt"?
"fehlt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #950 in our German list, against #42,482 for "fegt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fegt vs fehlt

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 “fegt” 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