Which to use
“freuen” and “freute” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,034
- “freuen” frequency rank
- #12,076
- “freute” frequency rank
- 13110
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | freuen | freute |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Freude erleben oder empfinden | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs freuen |
Where the eye mixes freuen and freute
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. freuen (CCVVVC) and freute (CCVVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses freuen with freute
A purely visual mix-up. freuen ([ˈfʁɔɪ̯ən]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13110, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
freuen is recorded at frequency rank #1,034, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfʁɔɪ̯ən]. 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 13110, this pair ranks #1,960,055 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of freuen vs freute
Shared letters: efru. Private to "freuen": n. Private to "freute": t.
"freuen" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC · "freute" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "freuen" and "freute" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "freuen" 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 "freuen" 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 #1,960,055 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "freuen" 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 #1,960,055 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.