FähigkeitvsFarbigkeitConfusable pair

Which to use

“Fähigkeit” and “Farbigkeit” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#4,271
“Fähigkeit” frequency rank
#48,877
“Farbigkeit” frequency rank
53148
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Fähigkeit Farbigkeit
Definition die angeborene oder erworbene Eigenschaft, zu etwas imstande zu sein Vorhandensein von Farben

Where the eye mixes Fähigkeit and Farbigkeit

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

9 ch
Fähigkeit
10 ch
Farbigkeit

Visual trap between Fähigkeit and Farbigkeit

A purely visual mix-up. Fähigkeit ([ˈfɛːɪçkaɪ̯t]) and Farbigkeit ([ˈfaʁbɪçkaɪ̯t]) 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 53148, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Fähigkeit is recorded at frequency rank #4,271, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɛːɪçkaɪ̯t]. Farbigkeit is at rank #48,877, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfaʁbɪçkaɪ̯t].

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 53148, this pair ranks #1,069,338 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Fähigkeit vs Farbigkeit

Shared letters: efgikt. Private to "Fähigkeit": . Private to "Farbigkeit": abr.

"Fähigkeit" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC  ·  "Farbigkeit" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Farbigkeitafrbigkeit · fabrigkeit · farbbigkeit · farbgikeit · farbigekit · farbiggkeit · farbigkeitt · farbigketi

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Fähigkeit" and "Farbigkeit" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɛːɪçkaɪ̯t] versus [ˈfaʁbɪçkaɪ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Fähigkeit" vs "Farbigkeit" - which ranks higher?
"Fähigkeit" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,271 in our German list, against #48,877 for "Farbigkeit". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "Fähigkeit" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Farbigkeit" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,069,338 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Fähigkeit" and "Farbigkeit" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fälligkeit vs Farbigkeit". 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 #1,069,338 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list