Which to use
“free” is an adjective and “freute” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,313
- “free” frequency rank
- #12,076
- “freute” frequency rank
- 15389
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | free | freute |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ohne eine Bezahlung zu verlangen; nicht mit Kosten verbunden | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs freuen |
Where the eye mixes free and freute
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses free with freute
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: free is [fɹiː] while freute is [ˈfʁɔɪ̯tə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15389, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
free is recorded at frequency rank #3,313, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɹiː]. freute is at rank #12,076, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfʁɔɪ̯tə].
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 15389, this pair ranks #1,944,241 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of free vs freute
Shared letters: efr. Private to "free": -. Private to "freute": tu.
"free" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "freute" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "free" for "freute" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "free" or "freute" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "free" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "freute" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,944,241 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "free" and "freute" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fete vs freute". 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 #1,944,241 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.