fumevsfürWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: fume is a verb, für is a preposition, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“fume” is a verb and “für” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#33,140
“fume” frequency rank
#38,139
“für” frequency rank
71279
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fume für
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de fumar. Por.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fume and für apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
fume
3 ch
für

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fume is [ˈfume] while für is [fyːɐ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71279, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fume is recorded at frequency rank #33,140, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfume]. für is at rank #38,139, tagged as aprep, pronounced [fyːɐ̯].

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 71279, this pair ranks #27,865 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of fume vs für

Shared letters: f. Private to "fume": emu. Private to "für": .

"fume" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "für" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fumeffume · fmue · fuem · fumme · ufme

Frequency comparison

fume#33,140
für#38,139

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fume" and "für" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fume" is a verb and "für" a preposition, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "fume" or "für"?
"fume" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,140 in our Spanish list, against #38,139 for "für". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fume vs für

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “fume”; for a preposition, it's “für”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fume” 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