Which to use
“freu” and “freute” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,186
- “freu” frequency rank
- #12,076
- “freute” frequency rank
- 18262
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | freu | freute |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs freuen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs freuen |
Where the eye mixes freu and freute
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between freu and freute
A purely visual mix-up. freu ([fʁɔɪ̯]) and freute ([ˈfʁɔɪ̯tə]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “freu” sits inside “freute”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18262, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
freu is recorded at frequency rank #6,186, classified as averb, pronounced [fʁɔɪ̯]. 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 18262, this pair ranks #1,919,907 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of freu vs freute
Shared letters: efru. Private to "freu": -. Private to "freute": t.
"freu" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "freute" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "freu" for "freute" ever safe?
Frequency check: "freu" vs "freute" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "freu" 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 #1,919,907 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "freu" 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 #1,919,907 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.