Which to use
“Fetten” is a noun and “füttern” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,709
- “Fetten” frequency rank
- #11,238
- “füttern” frequency rank
- 19947
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Fetten | füttern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Fett | einem Tier Nahrung geben |
Where the eye mixes Fetten and füttern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Fetten runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against füttern's 7 (CVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Fetten with füttern
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Fetten is [ˈfɛtn̩] while füttern is [ˈfʏtɐn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19947, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Fetten is recorded at frequency rank #8,709, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɛtn̩]. füttern is at rank #11,238, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfʏtɐn].
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 19947, this pair ranks #1,902,934 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Fetten vs füttern
Shared letters: efnt. Private to "Fetten": -. Private to "füttern": rü.
"Fetten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "füttern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Fetten ← eftten · feten · fetetn · fettenn · fettne · ffetten · fteten
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Fetten" for "füttern" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Fetten" or "füttern"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Fetten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "füttern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,902,934 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Fetten" and "füttern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fügten vs füttern". 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 #1,902,934 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.