füttern

[ˈfʏtɐn]

/[ˈfʏtɐn]/ verb

The verdict

“füttern” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #11,238 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#11,238
frequency rank, German
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - einem Tier Nahrung geben

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

füttern vs füttert
86% similar
füttern vs Fütterung
67% similar
füttern vs Futter
57% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for füttern
PropertyValue
Headwordfüttern
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈfʏtɐn]
Letters7
Frequency rank#11,238
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “füttern” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). füttern lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for füttern is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈfʏtɐn]. Corpus data places it at rank #11,238 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for füttern, with forms such as "ffüttern", "ftütern", and "fütern". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "füttert", "Fütterung", "Futter", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is füttern, spelled F-Ü-T-T-E-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    einem Tier Nahrung geben
  2. 2
    jemandem, der nicht selbstständig essen kann, die mundgerechte Nahrung zuführen
  3. 3
    ständig zur Verfügung stellen
  4. 4
    (einer Maschine, einem Programm) Daten liefern

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ffüttern,ftütern,fütern,fütetrn,füttenr,fütternn,fütterrn,füttren,üfttern

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of füttern - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ffüttern1ftütern2fütern1fütetrn2füttenr2fütternn1fütterrn1füttren2
Edit distance from "füttern"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "füttern"?
"füttern" is spelled F-Ü-T-T-E-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈfʏtɐn].
What does "füttern" mean?
As a verb, "füttern" means: einem Tier Nahrung geben
What words are commonly confused with "füttern"?
"füttern" is commonly confused with "füttert", "Fütterung", "Futter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "füttern"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "füttern" is [ˈfʏtɐn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "füttern" come from?
"füttern" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “füttern”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is F-Ü-T-T-E-R-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈfʏtɐn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “füttert” - see the side-by-side comparison. füttern vs füttert
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list