gefegtvsgefolgtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#43,899
“gefegt” frequency rank
#3,527
“gefolgt” frequency rank
47426
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gefegt gefolgt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs fegen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs folgen

Where the eye mixes gefegt and gefolgt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. gefegt runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against gefolgt's 7 (CVCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
gefegt
7 ch
gefolgt

Visual trap between gefegt and gefolgt

A purely visual mix-up. gefegt ([ɡəˈfeːkt]) and gefolgt ([ɡəˈfɔlkt]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47426, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gefegt is recorded at frequency rank #43,899, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈfeːkt]. gefolgt is at rank #3,527, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈfɔlkt].

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 47426, this pair ranks #1,284,652 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gefegt vs gefolgt

Shared letters: efgt. Private to "gefegt": -. Private to "gefolgt": lo.

"gefegt" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "gefolgt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gefegtegfegt · geefgt · gefeggt · gefegtt · gefetg · geffegt · gefget · gfeegt
  • gefolgtegfolgt · geffolgt · geflogt · gefoglt · gefolggt · gefolgtt · gefollgt · gefoltg

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gefegt" and "gefolgt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈfeːkt] versus [ɡəˈfɔlkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "gefegt" vs "gefolgt" - which ranks higher?
"gefolgt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,527 in our German list, against #43,899 for "gefegt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "gefegt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "gefolgt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,284,652 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "gefegt" and "gefolgt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gefegt vs gefeit". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,284,652 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