Which to use
“fähig” and “fähiger” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,300
- “fähig” frequency rank
- #46,662
- “fähiger” frequency rank
- 52962
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fähig | fähiger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in der Lage, imstande (etwas zu tun); über die Möglichkeiten verfügend, etwas zu tun | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs fähig |
Where the eye mixes fähig and fähiger
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. fähig runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against fähiger's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: fähig vs fähiger
A purely visual mix-up. fähig ([ˈfɛːɪç]) and fähiger ([ˈfɛːɪɡɐ]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “fähig” sits inside “fähiger”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52962, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fähig is recorded at frequency rank #6,300, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfɛːɪç]. fähiger is at rank #46,662, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfɛːɪɡɐ].
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 52962, this pair ranks #1,076,460 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fähig vs fähiger
Shared letters: fghiä. Private to "fähig": -. Private to "fähiger": er.
"fähig" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "fähiger" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fähig" for "fähiger" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fähig" vs "fähiger" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fähig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fähiger" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,076,460 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fähig" and "fähiger" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fähiger vs Farbiger". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,076,460 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.