fressenvsfreutenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,482
“fressen” frequency rank
#28,193
“freuten” frequency rank
33675
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fressen freuten
Definition feste Nahrung einnehmen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs freuen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fressen and freuten apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
fressen
7 ch
freuten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fressen ([ˈfʁɛsn̩]) and freuten ([ˈfʁɔɪ̯tn̩]) 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 33675, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fressen is recorded at frequency rank #5,482, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfʁɛsn̩]. freuten is at rank #28,193, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfʁɔɪ̯tn̩].

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 33675, this pair ranks #1,680,546 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fressen vs freuten

Shared letters: efnr. Private to "fressen": s. Private to "freuten": tu.

"fressen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "freuten" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fressenferssen · ffressen · fresen · fresesn · fressenn · fressne · freßen · frressen
  • freutenferuten · ffreuten · fretuen · freuetn · freutenn · freutne · freutten · frreuten

Frequency comparison

fressen#5,482
freuten#28,193

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fressen" and "freuten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfʁɛsn̩] versus [ˈfʁɔɪ̯tn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fressen" or "freuten"?
"fressen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,482 in our German list, against #28,193 for "freuten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fressen vs freuten

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 “fressen” 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