Which to use
“faul” and “full” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,826
- “faul” frequency rank
- #7,319
- “full” frequency rank
- 13145
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | faul | full |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht mehr frisch; verrottet, verfault | mit (nahezu) maximalen Inhalt seiend; voll |
Where the eye mixes faul and full
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. faul (CVVC) and full (CVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between faul and full
A purely visual mix-up. faul ([faʊ̯l]) and full ([fʊl]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13145, 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]. full is at rank #7,319, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fʊl].
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 13145, this pair ranks #1,959,844 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of faul vs full
Shared letters: flu. Private to "faul": a. Private to "full": -.
"faul" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "full" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "faul" and "full" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "faul" vs "full" - which ranks higher?
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 "faul" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "full" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,959,844 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "faul" and "full" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fils vs full". 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 #1,959,844 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.