Which to use
“fürchten” and “fürchteten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,172
- “fürchten” frequency rank
- #33,056
- “fürchteten” frequency rank
- 38228
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fürchten | fürchteten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas fürchten: vor etwas Angst (Furcht) haben | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs fürchten |
Where the eye mixes fürchten and fürchteten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. fürchten runs 8 letters (CVCCCCVC) against fürchteten's 10 (CVCCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses fürchten with fürchteten
A purely visual mix-up. fürchten ([ˈfʏʁçtn̩]) and fürchteten ([ˈfʏʁçtətn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38228, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fürchten is recorded at frequency rank #5,172, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfʏʁçtn̩]. fürchteten is at rank #33,056, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfʏʁçtətn̩].
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 38228, this pair ranks #1,569,470 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fürchten vs fürchteten
Shared letters: cefhnrtü. Private to "fürchten": -. Private to "fürchteten": -.
"fürchten" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC · "fürchteten" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fürchten" for "fürchteten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fürchten" or "fürchteten"?
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 "fürchten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fürchteten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,569,470 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fürchten" and "fürchteten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fürchtete vs fürchteten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,569,470 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.