Which to use
“Feinde” is a noun and “feinen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,729
- “Feinde” frequency rank
- #7,318
- “feinen” frequency rank
- 11047
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Feinde | feinen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Feind | Metall durch Entfernen von Verunreinigungen veredeln |
Where the eye mixes Feinde and feinen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Feinde with feinen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Feinde is [ˈfaɪ̯ndə] while feinen is [ˈfaɪ̯nən]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11047, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Feinde is recorded at frequency rank #3,729, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯ndə]. feinen is at rank #7,318, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯nən].
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 11047, this pair ranks #1,971,963 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Feinde vs feinen
Shared letters: efin. Private to "Feinde": d. Private to "feinen": -.
"Feinde" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "feinen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Feinde" and "feinen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Feinde" or "feinen" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Feinde" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "feinen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,971,963 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Feinde" and "feinen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Feinde vs fender". 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 #1,971,963 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.