feivsftwWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: fei is a particle, ftw is an abbrev, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“fei” is a particle and “ftw” is an abbrev - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#21,248
“fei” frequency rank
#41,821
“ftw” frequency rank
63069
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fei ftw
Definition erzgebirgisch, fränkisch, süddeutsch, oberdeutsch, drückt aus, dass man annimmt, dass die oder der Angesprochene das Gesagte noch nicht weiß Abkürzung der Wendung for the win ^(→ en), die die Sympathie mit einer Sache ausdrückt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fei and ftw apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
fei
3 ch
ftw

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: fei is aparticle and ftwanabbrev. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63069, 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]. ftw is at rank #41,821, tagged as anabbrev.

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 63069, this pair ranks #689,983 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of fei vs ftw

Shared letters: f. Private to "fei": ei. Private to "ftw": tw.

"fei" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "ftw" · 3 letters · shape CCC

Frequency comparison

fei#21,248
ftw#41,821

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fei" and "ftw" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fei" is a particle and "ftw" an abbrev, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "fei" or "ftw"?
"fei" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,248 in our German list, against #41,821 for "ftw". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fei vs ftw

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a particle, it's “fei”; for an abbrev, it's “ftw”.
  • 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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list