Which to use
“fehlen” and “feinen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,415
- “fehlen” frequency rank
- #7,318
- “feinen” frequency rank
- 8733
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fehlen | feinen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht vorhanden sein | Metall durch Entfernen von Verunreinigungen veredeln |
Where the eye mixes fehlen and feinen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fehlen with feinen
A purely visual mix-up. fehlen ([ˈfeːlən]) and feinen ([ˈfaɪ̯nən]) 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 8733, 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]. feinen is at rank #7,318, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯nən].
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 8733, this pair ranks #1,983,067 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fehlen vs feinen
Shared letters: efn. Private to "fehlen": hl. Private to "feinen": i.
"fehlen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "feinen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fehlen" for "feinen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fehlen" or "feinen"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "fehlen" and "feinen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fehlen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "feinen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,983,067 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fehlen" and "feinen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "feinen vs feminin". 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 #1,983,067 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.