fütternvsFütterungWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#11,238
“füttern” frequency rank
#26,422
“Fütterung” frequency rank
37660
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature füttern Fütterung
Definition einem Tier Nahrung geben die Versorgung von einem oder mehreren Tieren mit Nahrung (= Futter)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set füttern and Fütterung apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
füttern
9 ch
Fütterung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: füttern is [ˈfʏtɐn] while Fütterung is [ˈfʏtəʁʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 37660, 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]. Fütterung is at rank #26,422, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfʏtəʁʊŋ].

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 37660, this pair ranks #1,584,356 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of füttern vs Fütterung

Shared letters: efnrtü. Private to "füttern": -. Private to "Fütterung": gu.

"füttern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "Fütterung" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC

Frequency comparison

füttern#11,238
Fütterung#26,422

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "füttern" and "Fütterung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "füttern" is a verb and "Fütterung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "füttern" or "Fütterung"?
"füttern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,238 in our German list, against #26,422 for "Fütterung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering füttern vs Fütterung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “füttern”; for a noun, it's “Fütterung”.
  • 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