fähigvsfähigerWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fähig and fähiger apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
fähig
7 ch
fähiger

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

fähig#6,300
fähiger#46,662

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fähig" and "fähiger" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɛːɪç] versus [ˈfɛːɪɡɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fähig" or "fähiger"?
"fähig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,300 in our German list, against #46,662 for "fähiger". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fähig vs fähiger

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fähig” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list