fütternvsfüttertWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,238
“füttern” frequency rank
#29,135
“füttert” frequency rank
40373
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature füttern füttert
Definition einem Tier Nahrung geben 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs füttern

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set füttern and füttert apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
füttern
7 ch
füttert

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. füttern ([ˈfʏtɐn]) and füttert ([ˈfʏtɐt]) 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 a single letter - n in “füttern” becomes t in “füttert”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40373, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

füttern is recorded at frequency rank #11,238, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfʏtɐn]. füttert is at rank #29,135, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfʏtɐt].

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 40373, this pair ranks #1,510,374 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of füttern vs füttert

Shared letters: efrtü. Private to "füttern": n. Private to "füttert": -.

"füttern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "füttert" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Frequency comparison

füttern#11,238
füttert#29,135

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "füttern" and "füttert" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfʏtɐn] versus [ˈfʏtɐt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "füttern" or "füttert"?
"füttern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,238 in our German list, against #29,135 for "füttert". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering füttern vs füttert

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 “füttern” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list