Which to use
“fas” is a verb and “faul” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,095
- “fas” frequency rank
- #5,826
- “faul” frequency rank
- 43921
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fas | faul |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fasen | nicht mehr frisch; verrottet, verfault |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fas and faul apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fas is [faːs] while faul is [faʊ̯l]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43921, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fas is recorded at frequency rank #38,095, classified as averb, pronounced [faːs]. faul is at rank #5,826, tagged as anadj, pronounced [faʊ̯l].
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 43921, this pair ranks #1,402,757 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fas vs faul
Shared letters: af. Private to "fas": s. Private to "faul": lu.
"fas" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "faul" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- faul ← aful · falu · faull · ffaul · fual
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fas" and "faul" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fas" or "faul"?
Remembering fas vs faul
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “fas”; for an adjective, it's “faul”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fas” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable