FeigevsFerseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,425
“Feige” frequency rank
#35,767
“Ferse” frequency rank
47192
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Feige Ferse
Definition essbare, süße, fleischige Frucht des Feigenbaums hinterer Teil des Fußes

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Feige and Ferse apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Feige
5 ch
Ferse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Feige ([ˈfaɪ̯ɡə]) and Ferse ([ˈfɛʁzə]) 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 47192, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Feige is recorded at frequency rank #11,425, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯ɡə]. Ferse is at rank #35,767, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɛʁzə].

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 47192, this pair ranks #1,293,056 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Feige vs Ferse

Shared letters: ef. Private to "Feige": gi. Private to "Ferse": rs.

"Feige" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV  ·  "Ferse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Feigeefige · fegie · feieg · feigge · ffeige · fiege
  • Ferseefrse · feres · ferrse · fesre · fferse

Frequency comparison

Feige#11,425
Ferse#35,767

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Feige" and "Ferse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfaɪ̯ɡə] versus [ˈfɛʁzə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Feige" or "Ferse"?
"Feige" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,425 in our German list, against #35,767 for "Ferse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Feige vs Ferse

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 “Feige” 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