füllenvsFüllungConfusable pair

Quick tell: füllen is a verb, Füllung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“füllen” is a verb and “Füllung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,171
“füllen” frequency rank
#16,156
“Füllung” frequency rank
21327
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature füllen Füllung
Definition einen Behälter voll machen, eine Aushöhlung stopfen Vorgang, Prozess des Hineingebens, Befüllens, Auffüllens

Where the eye mixes füllen and Füllung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

6 ch
füllen
7 ch
Füllung

Visual trap between füllen and Füllung

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: füllen is [ˈfʏlən] while Füllung is [ˈfʏlʊŋ]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21327, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

füllen is recorded at frequency rank #5,171, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfʏlən]. Füllung is at rank #16,156, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfʏlʊŋ].

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 21327, this pair ranks #1,887,583 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of füllen vs Füllung

Shared letters: flnü. Private to "füllen": e. Private to "Füllung": gu.

"füllen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Füllung" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "füllen" and "Füllung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "füllen" is a verb and "Füllung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "füllen" vs "Füllung" - which ranks higher?
"füllen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,171 in our German list, against #16,156 for "Füllung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "füllen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Füllung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,887,583 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "füllen" and "Füllung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "falling vs Füllung". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,887,583 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list