fühltvsfühlteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“fühlt” and “fühlte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,478
“fühlt” frequency rank
#4,119
“fühlte” frequency rank
5597
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fühlt fühlte
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fühlen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs fühlen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fühlt and fühlte apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
fühlt
6 ch
fühlte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fühlt ([fyːlt]) 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 differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “fühlt” sits inside “fühlte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5597, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fühlt is recorded at frequency rank #1,478, classified as averb, pronounced [fyːlt]. 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 5597, this pair ranks #1,994,275 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fühlt vs fühlte

Shared letters: fhltü. Private to "fühlt": -. Private to "fühlte": e.

"fühlt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "fühlte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Frequency comparison

fühlt#1,478
fühlte#4,119

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fühlt" and "fühlte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fyːlt] versus [ˈfyːltə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fühlt" or "fühlte"?
"fühlt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,478 in our German list, against #4,119 for "fühlte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fühlt vs fühlte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fühlt” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list