Which to use
“fas” is a verb and “fem” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,095
- “fas” frequency rank
- #43,170
- “fem” frequency rank
- 81265
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fas | fem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fasen | fünf |
Where the eye mixes fas and fem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. fas and fem follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between fas and fem
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fas is [faːs] while fem is [fɛmˀ]. 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 num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81265, 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]. fem is at rank #43,170, tagged as anum, pronounced [fɛmˀ].
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 81265, this pair ranks #179,176 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of fas vs fem
Shared letters: f. Private to "fas": as. Private to "fem": em.
"fas" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "fem" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fas" for "fem" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fas" or "fem"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #179,176 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fas" and "fem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fem vs firm". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #179,176 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.