folgendvsfolgtenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: folgend is a adjective, folgten is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“folgend” is an adjective and “folgten” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,282
“folgend” frequency rank
#4,609
“folgten” frequency rank
16891
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature folgend folgten
Definition nach etwas kommend 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs folgen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set folgend and folgten apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
folgend
7 ch
folgten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: folgend is [ˈfɔlɡn̩t] while folgten is [ˈfɔlktn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16891, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

folgend is recorded at frequency rank #12,282, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfɔlɡn̩t]. folgten is at rank #4,609, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfɔlktn̩].

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 16891, this pair ranks #1,932,134 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of folgend vs folgten

Shared letters: efglno. Private to "folgend": d. Private to "folgten": t.

"folgend" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "folgten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • folgendffolgend · flogend · foglend · folegnd · folgedn · folgendd · folgennd · folggend
  • folgtenffolgten · flogten · foglten · folgetn · folggten · folgtenn · folgtne · folgtten

Frequency comparison

folgend#12,282
folgten#4,609

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "folgend" and "folgten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "folgend" is an adjective and "folgten" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "folgend" or "folgten"?
"folgten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,609 in our German list, against #12,282 for "folgend". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering folgend vs folgten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “folgend”; for a verb, it's “folgten”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “folgend” 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