Which to use
“fehlen” is a verb and “Fehlers” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,415
- “fehlen” frequency rank
- #36,319
- “Fehlers” frequency rank
- 37734
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fehlen | Fehlers |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht vorhanden sein | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Fehler |
Where the eye mixes fehlen and Fehlers
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. fehlen runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Fehlers's 7 (CVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between fehlen and Fehlers
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fehlen is [ˈfeːlən] while Fehlers is [ˈfeːlɐs]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37734, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fehlen is recorded at frequency rank #1,415, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfeːlən]. Fehlers is at rank #36,319, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfeːlɐs].
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 37734, this pair ranks #1,582,430 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fehlen vs Fehlers
Shared letters: efhl. Private to "fehlen": n. Private to "Fehlers": rs.
"fehlen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Fehlers" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fehlen" and "Fehlers" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "fehlen" or "Fehlers"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fehlen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Fehlers" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,582,430 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fehlen" and "Fehlers" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fehlers vs Fühler". 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 #1,582,430 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.