feiernvsfeilenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,476
“feiern” frequency rank
#33,041
“feilen” frequency rank
34517
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature feiern feilen
Definition an einem Fest oder einer Party teilnehmen oder sie selbst veranstalten mit einer Feile bearbeiten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set feiern and feilen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
feiern
6 ch
feilen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. feiern ([ˈfaɪ̯ɐn]) and feilen ([ˈfaɪ̯lən]) 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 34517, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

feiern is recorded at frequency rank #1,476, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯ɐn]. feilen is at rank #33,041, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯lən].

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 34517, this pair ranks #1,661,544 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of feiern vs feilen

Shared letters: efin. Private to "feiern": r. Private to "feilen": l.

"feiern" · 6 letters · shape CVVVCC  ·  "feilen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • feiernefiern · feeirn · feienr · feiernn · feierrn · feiren · ffeiern · fieern
  • feilenefilen · feieln · feilenn · feillen · feilne · felien · ffeilen

Frequency comparison

feiern#1,476
feilen#33,041

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "feiern" and "feilen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfaɪ̯ɐn] versus [ˈfaɪ̯lən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "feiern" or "feilen"?
"feiern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,476 in our German list, against #33,041 for "feilen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering feiern vs feilen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “feiern” 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