Which to use
“fei” is a particle and “fey” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,248
- “fei” frequency rank
- #43,868
- “fey” frequency rank
- 65116
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fei | fey |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erzgebirgisch, fränkisch, süddeutsch, oberdeutsch, drückt aus, dass man annimmt, dass die oder der Angesprochene das Gesagte noch nicht weiß | (aus dem schottischen) todgeweiht |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fei and fey apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: fei is aparticle and feyanadjective. On the page they differ by a single letter - i in “fei” becomes y in “fey”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65116, 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]. fey is at rank #43,868, tagged as anadj, pronounced […].
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 65116, this pair ranks #617,974 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fei vs fey
Shared letters: ef. Private to "fei": i. Private to "fey": y.
"fei" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "fey" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fei" and "fey" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fei" or "fey"?
Remembering fei vs fey
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a particle, it's “fei”; for an adjective, it's “fey”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fei” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable