fragenvsfragstWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#312
“fragen” frequency rank
#8,206
“fragst” frequency rank
8518
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fragen fragst
Definition eine Auskunft erbitten, um eine Auskunft bitten, eine Frage stellen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fragen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fragen and fragst apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
fragen
6 ch
fragst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fragen ([ˈfʁaːɡn̩]) and fragst ([fʁaːkst]) 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 8518, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fragen is recorded at frequency rank #312, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfʁaːɡn̩]. fragst is at rank #8,206, tagged as averb, pronounced [fʁaːkst].

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 8518, this pair ranks #1,983,965 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fragen vs fragst

Shared letters: afgr. Private to "fragen": en. Private to "fragst": st.

"fragen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "fragst" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fragenfargen · ffragen · fraegn · fragenn · fraggen · fragne · frgaen · frragen
  • fragstfargst · ffragst · fraggst · fragsst · fragstt · fragts · frasgt · frgast

Frequency comparison

fragen#312
fragst#8,206

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fragen" and "fragst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfʁaːɡn̩] versus [fʁaːkst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fragen" or "fragst"?
"fragen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #312 in our German list, against #8,206 for "fragst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fragen vs fragst

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fragen” 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