Which to use
“fesseln” and “fressen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,428
- “fesseln” frequency rank
- #5,482
- “fressen” frequency rank
- 16910
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fesseln | fressen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden (an etwas) festbinden und damit bewegungsunfähig machen | feste Nahrung einnehmen |
Where the eye mixes fesseln and fressen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fesseln vs fressen
A purely visual mix-up. fesseln ([ˈfɛsl̩n]) and fressen ([ˈfʁɛsn̩]) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16910, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fesseln is recorded at frequency rank #11,428, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfɛsl̩n]. fressen is at rank #5,482, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfʁɛsn̩].
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 16910, this pair ranks #1,931,987 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fesseln vs fressen
Shared letters: efns. Private to "fesseln": l. Private to "fressen": r.
"fesseln" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "fressen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fesseln" for "fressen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fesseln" vs "fressen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fesseln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fressen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,931,987 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fesseln" and "fressen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fesseln vs fesselnd". 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 #1,931,987 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.