Which to use
“fei” is a particle and “fun” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,248
- “fei” frequency rank
- #6,924
- “fun” frequency rank
- 28172
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fei | fun |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erzgebirgisch, fränkisch, süddeutsch, oberdeutsch, drückt aus, dass man annimmt, dass die oder der Angesprochene das Gesagte noch nicht weiß | spaßig, lustig |
Where the eye mixes fei and fun
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fei vs fun
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fei is [faɪ̯] while fun is [fʌn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (particle vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28172, 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]. fun is at rank #6,924, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fʌn].
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 28172, this pair ranks #1,789,313 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fei vs fun
Shared letters: f. Private to "fei": ei. Private to "fun": nu.
"fei" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "fun" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fei" for "fun" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "fei" or "fun" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fun" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,789,313 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fei" and "fun" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fay vs fei". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,789,313 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.