Which to use
“früh” is an adjective and “für” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,056
- “früh” frequency rank
- #16
- “für” frequency rank
- 1072
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | früh | für |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zeitlich am Anfang liegend, zum Beginn | etwas oder jemand ist an etwas jemanden gerichtet, bestimmt, zugeordnet |
Where the eye mixes früh and für
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: früh vs für
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: früh is [fʁyː] while für is [fyːɐ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1072, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
früh is recorded at frequency rank #1,056, classified as anadj, pronounced [fʁyː]. für is at rank #16, tagged as aprep, pronounced [fyːɐ̯].
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 1072, this pair ranks #2,004,951 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of früh vs für
Shared letters: frü. Private to "früh": h. Private to "für": -.
"früh" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "für" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "früh" and "für" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "früh" or "für"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "früh" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "für" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,004,951 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "früh" and "für" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "firm vs für". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #2,004,951 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.