Which to use
“festlegen” and “festzulegen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,717
- “festlegen” frequency rank
- #17,576
- “festzulegen” frequency rank
- 27293
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | festlegen | festzulegen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen verbindlichen Beschluss fassen, eine verbindliche Entscheidung treffen; durch verbindliche Regeln, Vorschriften bestimmen, verordnen; verbindlich festsetzen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs festlegen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set festlegen and festzulegen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. festlegen ([ˈfɛstˌleːɡn̩]) and festzulegen ([ˈfɛstt͡suˌleːɡn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27293, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
festlegen is recorded at frequency rank #9,717, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfɛstˌleːɡn̩]. festzulegen is at rank #17,576, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfɛstt͡suˌleːɡn̩].
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 27293, this pair ranks #1,804,136 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of festlegen vs festzulegen
Shared letters: efglnst. Private to "festlegen": -. Private to "festzulegen": uz.
"festlegen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC · "festzulegen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- festlegen ← efstlegen · fesltegen · fesstlegen · festelgen · festleegn · festlegenn · festleggen · festlegne
- festzulegen ← efstzulegen · fesstzulegen · festtzulegen · festuzlegen · festzluegen · festzuelgen · festzuleegn · festzulegenn
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "festlegen" and "festzulegen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "festlegen" or "festzulegen"?
Remembering festlegen vs festzulegen
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 “festlegen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable