Which to use
“Fakes” and “Fes” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,380
- “Fakes” frequency rank
- #39,338
- “Fes” frequency rank
- 86718
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Fakes | Fes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Fake | orientalische Kopfbedeckung |
Where the eye mixes Fakes and Fes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Fakes runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against Fes's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Fakes with Fes
A purely visual mix-up. Fakes ([fɛɪ̯ks]) and Fes ([feːs]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 86718, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Fakes is recorded at frequency rank #47,380, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɪ̯ks]. Fes is at rank #39,338, tagged as anoun, pronounced [feːs].
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 86718, this pair ranks #89,879 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Fakes vs Fes
Shared letters: efs. Private to "Fakes": ak. Private to "Fes": -.
"Fakes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Fes" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Fakes ← afkes · faeks · fakess · fakkes · fakse · ffakes · fkaes
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Fakes" for "Fes" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Fakes" vs "Fes" - which ranks higher?
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 "Fakes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Fes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #89,879 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Fakes" and "Fes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fachs vs Fakes". 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 #89,879 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.