Which to use
“faul” is an adjective and “Foul” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,826
- “faul” frequency rank
- #16,991
- “Foul” frequency rank
- 22817
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | faul | Foul |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht mehr frisch; verrottet, verfault | Regelverstoß, bei dem der Gegenspieler mit unfairen und unsportlichen Mitteln benachteiligt wird |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set faul and Foul apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: faul and Foul carry the same recorded pronunciation, [faʊ̯l]. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by a single letter - a in “faul” becomes o in “Foul”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22817, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
faul is recorded at frequency rank #5,826, classified as anadj, pronounced [faʊ̯l]. Foul is at rank #16,991, tagged as anoun, 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 22817, this pair ranks #1,869,369 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of faul vs Foul
Shared letters: flu. Private to "faul": a. Private to "Foul": o.
"faul" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "Foul" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "faul" and "Foul" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "faul" or "Foul"?
Remembering faul vs Foul
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “faul”; for a noun, it's “Foul”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “faul” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable