feststehenvsfeststellenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#48,887
“feststehen” frequency rank
#3,730
“feststellen” frequency rank
52617
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature feststehen feststellen
Definition nicht mit einer Änderung zu rechnen (haben/sein) einen Sachverhalt ermitteln über den Status Auskunft geben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set feststehen and feststellen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
feststehen
11 ch
feststellen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. feststehen ([ˈfɛstˌʃteːən]) and feststellen ([ˈfɛstˌʃtɛlən]) 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 52617, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

feststehen is recorded at frequency rank #48,887, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfɛstˌʃteːən]. feststellen is at rank #3,730, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfɛstˌʃtɛlən].

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 52617, this pair ranks #1,089,826 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of feststehen vs feststellen

Shared letters: efnst. Private to "feststehen": h. Private to "feststellen": l.

"feststehen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCCVCVC  ·  "feststellen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • feststehenefststehen · fesststehen · fessttehen · festsethen · festsstehen · feststeehn · feststehenn · feststehhen
  • feststellenefststellen · fesststellen · fessttellen · festsetllen · festsstellen · feststeleln · feststelen · feststellenn

Frequency comparison

feststehen#48,887
feststellen#3,730

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "feststehen" and "feststellen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɛstˌʃteːən] versus [ˈfɛstˌʃtɛlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "feststehen" or "feststellen"?
"feststellen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,730 in our German list, against #48,887 for "feststehen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering feststehen vs feststellen

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 “feststehen” 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