Which to use
“Fabel” and “fail” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,092
- “Fabel” frequency rank
- #27,286
- “fail” frequency rank
- 65378
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Fabel | fail |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Form der Erzählung, in der menschliche Verhaltensweisen auf Tiere (seltener auf Pflanzen oder Dinge) übertragen werden, um so auf unterhaltsame Weise eine bestimmte Moral zu vermitteln | ein Ausfall, ein Fehlschlag |
Where the eye mixes Fabel and fail
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Fabel vs fail
A purely visual mix-up. Fabel ([ˈfaːbl̩]) and fail ([feɪl]) 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 65378, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Fabel is recorded at frequency rank #38,092, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfaːbl̩]. fail is at rank #27,286, tagged as anoun, pronounced [feɪl].
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 65378, this pair ranks #609,036 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Fabel vs fail
Shared letters: afl. Private to "Fabel": be. Private to "fail": i.
"Fabel" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "fail" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Fabel" and "fail" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Fabel" or "fail" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Fabel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fail" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #609,036 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Fabel" and "fail" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fabel vs Färber". 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 #609,036 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.