Which to use
“Fehler” and “Fehlers” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #746
- “Fehler” frequency rank
- #36,319
- “Fehlers” frequency rank
- 37065
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Fehler | Fehlers |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Abweichung von einem optimalen Zustand, Verfahren oder dem Richtigen | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Fehler |
Where the eye mixes Fehler and Fehlers
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Fehler with Fehlers
A purely visual mix-up. Fehler ([ˈfeːlɐ]) and Fehlers ([ˈfeːlɐs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Fehler” sits inside “Fehlers”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37065, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Fehler is recorded at frequency rank #746, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfeːlɐ]. 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 37065, this pair ranks #1,599,699 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Fehler vs Fehlers
Shared letters: efhlr. Private to "Fehler": -. Private to "Fehlers": s.
"Fehler" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Fehlers" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Fehler" and "Fehlers" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Fehler" or "Fehlers" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Fehler" and "Fehlers" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Fehler" 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 #1,599,699 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Fehler" 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 #1,599,699 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.