Which to use
“Biss” is a noun and “bissig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,867
- “Biss” frequency rank
- #48,011
- “bissig” frequency rank
- 57878
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Biss | bissig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | der Vorgang des Beißens | charakterlich so, dass jemand/etwas zum schnellen Zubeißen neigt |
Where the eye mixes Biss and bissig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Biss runs 4 letters (CVCC) against bissig's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Biss with bissig
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Biss is [bɪs] while bissig is [ˈbɪsɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Biss” sits inside “bissig”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57878, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Biss is recorded at frequency rank #9,867, classified as anoun, pronounced [bɪs]. bissig is at rank #48,011, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈbɪsɪç].
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 57878, this pair ranks #884,264 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Biss vs bissig
Shared letters: bis. Private to "Biss": -. Private to "bissig": g.
"Biss" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "bissig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Biss" for "bissig" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Biss" or "bissig" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Biss" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bissig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #884,264 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Biss" and "bissig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bissig vs Bussi". 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 #884,264 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.