Which to use
“folgen” and “formen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #566
- “folgen” frequency rank
- #2,294
- “formen” frequency rank
- 2860
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | folgen | formen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem oder etwas hinterhergehen oder auch hinterherfahren | etwas eine Form oder Gestalt geben |
Where the eye mixes folgen and formen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses folgen with formen
A purely visual mix-up. folgen ([ˈfɔlɡn̩]) and formen ([ˈfɔʁmən]) 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 2860, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
folgen is recorded at frequency rank #566, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfɔlɡn̩]. formen is at rank #2,294, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfɔʁmən].
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 2860, this pair ranks #2,001,428 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of folgen vs formen
Shared letters: efno. Private to "folgen": gl. Private to "formen": mr.
"folgen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "formen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "folgen" and "formen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "folgen" or "formen" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "folgen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "formen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,001,428 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "folgen" and "formen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Felge vs folgen". 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 #2,001,428 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.