feststellenvsfestzustellenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,730
“feststellen” frequency rank
#8,559
“festzustellen” frequency rank
12289
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature feststellen festzustellen
Definition einen Sachverhalt ermitteln über den Status Auskunft geben erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs feststellen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set feststellen and festzustellen apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
feststellen
13 ch
festzustellen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. feststellen ([ˈfɛstˌʃtɛlən]) and festzustellen ([ˈfɛstt͡suˌʃtɛlən]) 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 12289, 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]. festzustellen is at rank #8,559, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfɛstt͡suˌʃtɛlən].

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 12289, this pair ranks #1,965,074 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of feststellen vs festzustellen

Shared letters: eflnst. Private to "feststellen": -. Private to "festzustellen": uz.

"feststellen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC  ·  "festzustellen" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • feststellenefststellen · fesststellen · fessttellen · festsetllen · festsstellen · feststeleln · feststelen · feststellenn
  • festzustellenefstzustellen · fesstzustellen · festtzustellen · festuzstellen · festzsutellen · festzusetllen · festzusstellen · festzusteleln

Frequency comparison

feststellen#3,730
festzustellen#8,559

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "feststellen" and "festzustellen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɛstˌʃtɛlən] versus [ˈfɛstt͡suˌʃtɛlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "feststellen" or "festzustellen"?
"feststellen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,730 in our German list, against #8,559 for "festzustellen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering feststellen vs festzustellen

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 “feststellen” 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