fragenvsframeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#312
“fragen” frequency rank
#23,941
“frame” frequency rank
24253
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fragen frame
Definition eine Auskunft erbitten, um eine Auskunft bitten, eine Frage stellen 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs framen

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
fragen
5 ch
frame

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fragen ([ˈfʁaːɡn̩]) and frame ([ˈfʁeːmə]) 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 24253, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fragen is recorded at frequency rank #312, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfʁaːɡn̩]. frame is at rank #23,941, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfʁeːmə].

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 24253, this pair ranks #1,850,274 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fragen vs frame

Shared letters: aefr. Private to "fragen": gn. Private to "frame": m.

"fragen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "frame" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fragenfargen · ffragen · fraegn · fragenn · fraggen · fragne · frgaen · frragen
  • framefarme · fframe · fraem · framme · frmae · frrame · rfame

Frequency comparison

fragen#312
frame#23,941

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fragen" and "frame" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfʁaːɡn̩] versus [ˈfʁeːmə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fragen" or "frame"?
"fragen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #312 in our German list, against #23,941 for "frame". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fragen vs frame

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