Which to use
“fahnden” is a verb and “Feinden” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,647
- “fahnden” frequency rank
- #15,358
- “Feinden” frequency rank
- 65005
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fahnden | Feinden |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (jemanden, etwas) polizeilich suchen (zwecks Verhaftung oder Beschlagnahme) | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Feind |
Where the eye mixes fahnden and Feinden
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. fahnden (CVCCCVC) and Feinden (CVVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: fahnden vs Feinden
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fahnden is [ˈfaːndn̩] while Feinden is [ˈfaɪ̯ndn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65005, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fahnden is recorded at frequency rank #49,647, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfaːndn̩]. Feinden is at rank #15,358, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯ndn̩].
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 65005, this pair ranks #621,789 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fahnden vs Feinden
Shared letters: defn. Private to "fahnden": ah. Private to "Feinden": i.
"fahnden" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "Feinden" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fahnden" and "Feinden" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "fahnden" vs "Feinden" - which ranks higher?
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 "fahnden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Feinden" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #621,789 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fahnden" and "Feinden" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fahnden vs fahndet". 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 #621,789 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.