Which to use
“passen” is a verb and “Passes” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,932
- “passen” frequency rank
- #43,401
- “Passes” frequency rank
- 45333
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | passen | Passes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | angemessen sein, sich eignen, harmonieren; gute Passform haben | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Pass |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set passen and Passes apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
passen and Passes form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - n in “passen” becomes s in “Passes” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45333, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
passen is recorded at frequency rank #1,932, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpasn̩]. Passes is at rank #43,401, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpasəs].
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 45333, this pair ranks #1,356,603 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "passen" and "Passes" be used interchangeably?
Remembering passen vs Passes
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “passen”; for a noun, it's “Passes”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “passen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable