Which to use
“Fach” is a noun and “fad” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,440
- “Fach” frequency rank
- #36,315
- “fad” frequency rank
- 39755
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Fach | fad |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | der durch das Balkengerüst beziehungsweise die tragenden Balken gebildete und mit Lehm oder Ziegeln ausgefüllte Zwischenraum einer Fachwerkwand (auch Gefach) | geschmacklos, wässrig |
Where the eye mixes Fach and fad
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Fach with fad
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Fach is [fax] while fad is [faːt]. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39755, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Fach is recorded at frequency rank #3,440, classified as anoun, pronounced [fax]. fad is at rank #36,315, tagged as anadj, pronounced [faːt].
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 39755, this pair ranks #1,527,842 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Fach vs fad
Shared letters: af. Private to "Fach": ch. Private to "fad": d.
"Fach" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "fad" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Fach ← afch · facch · fachh · fahc · fcah · ffach
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Fach" and "fad" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Fach" or "fad" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Fach" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fad" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,527,842 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Fach" and "fad" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fack vs fad". 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 #1,527,842 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.