folgenvsfolgtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#566
“folgen” frequency rank
#1,077
“folgt” frequency rank
1643
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature folgen folgt
Definition jemandem oder etwas hinterhergehen oder auch hinterherfahren 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs folgen

Where the eye mixes folgen and folgt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
folgen
5 ch
folgt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. folgen ([ˈfɔlɡn̩]) and folgt ([fɔlkt]) 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 1643, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

folgen is recorded at frequency rank #566, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfɔlɡn̩]. folgt is at rank #1,077, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɔlkt].

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 1643, this pair ranks #2,003,976 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of folgen vs folgt

Shared letters: fglo. Private to "folgen": en. Private to "folgt": t.

"folgen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "folgt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • folgenffolgen · foglen · folegn · folgenn · folggen · folgne · follgen · oflgen
  • folgtffolgt · flogt · foglt · folggt · folgtt · follgt · foltg · oflgt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "folgen" and "folgt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɔlɡn̩] versus [fɔlkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "folgen" or "folgt"?
"folgen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #566 in our German list, against #1,077 for "folgt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

You've compared "folgen" and "folgt". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "folgen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "folgt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #2,003,976 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "folgen" and "folgt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "folgt vs folio". 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

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list