Which to use
“fei” is a particle and “Fes” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,248
- “fei” frequency rank
- #39,338
- “Fes” frequency rank
- 60586
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fei | Fes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erzgebirgisch, fränkisch, süddeutsch, oberdeutsch, drückt aus, dass man annimmt, dass die oder der Angesprochene das Gesagte noch nicht weiß | orientalische Kopfbedeckung |
Where the eye mixes fei and Fes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fei with Fes
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fei is [faɪ̯] while Fes is [feːs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - i in “fei” becomes s in “Fes”, and the parts of speech differ too (particle vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60586, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fei is recorded at frequency rank #21,248, classified as aparticle, pronounced [faɪ̯]. Fes is at rank #39,338, tagged as anoun, pronounced [feːs].
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 60586, this pair ranks #781,481 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fei vs Fes
Shared letters: ef. Private to "fei": i. Private to "Fes": s.
"fei" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "Fes" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fei" for "Fes" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fei" or "Fes"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "fei" and "Fes" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Fes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #781,481 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fei" and "Fes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fes vs fist". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #781,481 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.