Which to use
“fellow” is a noun and “follow” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #35,765
- “fellow” frequency rank
- #23,938
- “follow” frequency rank
- 59703
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fellow | follow |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Typ, Kerl | jemandem folgen (‚hinterhergehen‘) |
Where the eye mixes fellow and follow
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fellow with follow
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fellow is [ˈfɛləʊ] while follow is [ˈfɒləʊ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “fellow” becomes o in “follow”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59703, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fellow is recorded at frequency rank #35,765, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɛləʊ]. follow is at rank #23,938, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfɒləʊ].
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 59703, this pair ranks #814,555 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fellow vs follow
Shared letters: flow. Private to "fellow": e. Private to "follow": -.
"fellow" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "follow" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fellow" for "follow" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fellow" vs "follow" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fellow" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "follow" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #814,555 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fellow" and "follow" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "folio vs follow". 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 #814,555 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.