Which to use
“feststellen” and “feststellte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,730
- “feststellen” frequency rank
- #26,404
- “feststellte” frequency rank
- 30134
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | feststellen | feststellte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Sachverhalt ermitteln über den Status Auskunft geben | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs feststellen |
Where the eye mixes feststellen and feststellte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. feststellen (CVCCCCVCCVC) and feststellte (CVCCCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses feststellen with feststellte
A purely visual mix-up. feststellen ([ˈfɛstˌʃtɛlən]) and feststellte ([ˈfɛstˌʃtɛltə]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30134, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
feststellen is recorded at frequency rank #3,730, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfɛstˌʃtɛlən]. feststellte is at rank #26,404, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfɛstˌʃtɛltə].
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 30134, this pair ranks #1,753,752 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of feststellen vs feststellte
Shared letters: eflst. Private to "feststellen": n. Private to "feststellte": -.
"feststellen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC · "feststellte" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- feststellen ← efststellen · fesststellen · fessttellen · festsetllen · festsstellen · feststeleln · feststelen · feststellenn
- feststellte ← efststellte · fesststellte · fessttellte · festsetllte · festsstellte · feststellet · feststelltte · feststelte
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "feststellen" and "feststellte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "feststellen" or "feststellte"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "feststellen" and "feststellte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "feststellen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "feststellte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,753,752 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "feststellen" and "feststellte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "feststehen vs feststellen". 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 #1,753,752 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.