Which to use
“Feder” is a noun and “fegen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,362
- “Feder” frequency rank
- #33,040
- “fegen” frequency rank
- 41402
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Feder | fegen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aus der Haut von Vögeln wachsendes, aus Keratin bestehendes Gebilde mit einer Art hornigem Stiel (dem sogenannten »Kiel«), von dem aus sich feine rippen- oder fadenartige Verästelungen (die sogenannte »Fahne«) abzweigen, und die Gesamtheit dieser Gebilde das Gefieder bildet | mit einem Besen entfernen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Feder and fegen apart are highlighted. They share 3 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: Feder is [ˈfeːdɐ] while fegen is [ˈfeːɡn̩]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41402, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Feder is recorded at frequency rank #8,362, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfeːdɐ]. fegen is at rank #33,040, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfeːɡn̩].
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 41402, this pair ranks #1,480,550 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Feder vs fegen
Shared letters: ef. Private to "Feder": dr. Private to "fegen": gn.
"Feder" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "fegen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Feder" and "fegen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Feder" or "fegen"?
Remembering Feder vs fegen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Feder”; for a verb, it's “fegen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Feder” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable