Which to use
“fein” is an adjective and “fing” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,652
- “fein” frequency rank
- #5,167
- “fing” frequency rank
- 8819
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fein | fing |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | dünn, feinkörnig, zart | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs fangen |
Where the eye mixes fein and fing
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between fein and fing
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fein is [faɪ̯n] while fing is [fɪŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8819, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fein is recorded at frequency rank #3,652, classified as anadj, pronounced [faɪ̯n]. fing is at rank #5,167, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɪŋ].
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 8819, this pair ranks #1,982,687 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fein vs fing
Shared letters: fin. Private to "fein": e. Private to "fing": g.
"fein" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "fing" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fein" and "fing" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "fein" vs "fing" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fein" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fing" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,982,687 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fein" and "fing" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fing vs fist". 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 #1,982,687 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.