folgtvsfügtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,077
“folgt” frequency rank
#8,371
“fügt” frequency rank
9448
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature folgt fügt
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs folgen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fügen

Where the eye mixes folgt and fügt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. folgt runs 5 letters (CVCCC) against fügt's 4 (CVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
folgt
4 ch
fügt

Why the eye confuses folgt with fügt

A purely visual mix-up. folgt ([fɔlkt]) and fügt ([fyːkt]) 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 9448, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

folgt is recorded at frequency rank #1,077, classified as averb, pronounced [fɔlkt]. fügt is at rank #8,371, tagged as averb, pronounced [fyːkt].

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 9448, this pair ranks #1,979,901 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of folgt vs fügt

Shared letters: fgt. Private to "folgt": lo. Private to "fügt": ü.

"folgt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "fügt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • folgtffolgt · flogt · foglt · folggt · folgtt · follgt · foltg · oflgt

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "folgt" for "fügt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fɔlkt] versus [fyːkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "folgt" vs "fügt" - which ranks higher?
"folgt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,077 in our German list, against #8,371 for "fügt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "folgt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "fügt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,979,901 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "folgt" and "fügt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fist vs fügt". 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 #1,979,901 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list