Which to use
“fade” and “free” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,506
- “fade” frequency rank
- #3,313
- “free” frequency rank
- 40819
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fade | free |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ohne oder mit nur wenig Geschmack | ohne eine Bezahlung zu verlangen; nicht mit Kosten verbunden |
Where the eye mixes fade and free
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fade vs free
A purely visual mix-up. fade ([ˈfaːdə]) and free ([fɹiː]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40819, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fade is recorded at frequency rank #37,506, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfaːdə]. free is at rank #3,313, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɹiː].
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 40819, this pair ranks #1,497,372 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fade vs free
Shared letters: ef. Private to "fade": ad. Private to "free": r.
"fade" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "free" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fade" for "free" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fade" or "free"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fade" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "free" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,497,372 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fade" and "free" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fade vs flame". 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 #1,497,372 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.