feierlichvsfeindlichConfusable pair

Which to use

“feierlich” and “feindlich” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,281
“feierlich” frequency rank
#26,006
“feindlich” frequency rank
38287
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature feierlich feindlich
Definition in der Art und Weise einer Feier, auf eine Feier bezogen; mit festlicher Stimmung oder Ausstattung als Feind; wie ein Feind; ein Feind seiend; vom Feind

Where the eye mixes feierlich and feindlich

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

9 ch
feierlich
9 ch
feindlich

Look-alike desk: feierlich vs feindlich

A purely visual mix-up. feierlich ([ˈfaɪ̯ɐˌlɪç]) and feindlich ([ˈfaɪ̯ntlɪç]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38287, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

feierlich is recorded at frequency rank #12,281, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯ɐˌlɪç]. feindlich is at rank #26,006, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯ntlɪç].

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 38287, this pair ranks #1,567,828 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of feierlich vs feindlich

Shared letters: cefhil. Private to "feierlich": r. Private to "feindlich": dn.

"feierlich" · 9 letters · shape CVVVCCVCC  ·  "feindlich" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • feierlichefierlich · feeirlich · feielrich · feierilch · feierlcih · feierlicch · feierlichh · feierlihc
  • feindlichefindlich · feidnlich · feinddlich · feindilch · feindlcih · feindlicch · feindlichh · feindlihc

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "feierlich" and "feindlich" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfaɪ̯ɐˌlɪç] versus [ˈfaɪ̯ntlɪç]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "feierlich" vs "feindlich" - which ranks higher?
"feierlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,281 in our German list, against #26,006 for "feindlich". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "feierlich" and "feindlich" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "feierlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "feindlich" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,567,828 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "feierlich" and "feindlich" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "feindlich vs feindliches". 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 #1,567,828 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list