Which to use
“fühlen” and “fühlte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,290
- “fühlen” frequency rank
- #4,119
- “fühlte” frequency rank
- 5409
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fühlen | fühlte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | per Tastsinn beziehungsweise allgemein über die Haut wahrnehmen oder erkunden | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs fühlen |
Where the eye mixes fühlen and fühlte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fühlen with fühlte
A purely visual mix-up. fühlen ([ˈfyːlən]) and fühlte ([ˈfyːltə]) 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 5409, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fühlen is recorded at frequency rank #1,290, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfyːlən]. fühlte is at rank #4,119, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfyːltə].
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 5409, this pair ranks #1,994,846 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fühlen vs fühlte
Shared letters: efhlü. Private to "fühlen": n. Private to "fühlte": t.
"fühlen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "fühlte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fühlen" for "fühlte" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fühlen" vs "fühlte" - 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 "fühlen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fühlte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,994,846 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fühlen" and "fühlte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fügten vs fühlen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,994,846 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.