Which to use
“fühlen” and “fühlten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,290
- “fühlen” frequency rank
- #12,711
- “fühlten” frequency rank
- 14001
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fühlen | fühlten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | per Tastsinn beziehungsweise allgemein über die Haut wahrnehmen oder erkunden | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs fühlen |
Where the eye mixes fühlen and fühlten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fühlen with fühlten
A purely visual mix-up. fühlen ([ˈfyːlən]) and fühlten ([ˈfyːltn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14001, 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]. fühlten is at rank #12,711, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfyːltn̩].
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 14001, this pair ranks #1,954,252 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fühlen vs fühlten
Shared letters: efhlnü. Private to "fühlen": -. Private to "fühlten": t.
"fühlen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "fühlten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fühlen" and "fühlten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "fühlen" or "fühlten" show up more?
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 "fühlten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,954,252 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fühlen" and "fühlten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fügten vs fühlten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,954,252 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.