Which to use
“folgen” and “foltern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #566
- “folgen” frequency rank
- #27,302
- “foltern” frequency rank
- 27868
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | folgen | foltern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem oder etwas hinterhergehen oder auch hinterherfahren | jemandem (physisch oder psychisch) heftigen Schmerz zufügen |
Where the eye mixes folgen and foltern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses folgen with foltern
A purely visual mix-up. folgen ([ˈfɔlɡn̩]) and foltern ([ˈfɔltɐn]) 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 27868, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
folgen is recorded at frequency rank #566, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfɔlɡn̩]. foltern is at rank #27,302, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfɔltɐn].
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 27868, this pair ranks #1,794,513 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of folgen vs foltern
Shared letters: eflno. Private to "folgen": g. Private to "foltern": rt.
"folgen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "foltern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "folgen" and "foltern" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "folgen" or "foltern"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "folgen" and "foltern" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "folgen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "foltern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,794,513 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "folgen" and "foltern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Flyern vs foltern". 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 #1,794,513 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.