FeindevsFlinteConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#3,729
“Feinde” frequency rank
#36,327
“Flinte” frequency rank
40056
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Feinde Flinte
Definition Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Feind Gewehr mit glattem Lauf, zum Verschießen von Schrot

Where the eye mixes Feinde and Flinte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Feinde
6 ch
Flinte

Why the eye confuses Feinde with Flinte

A purely visual mix-up. Feinde ([ˈfaɪ̯ndə]) and Flinte ([ˈflɪntə]) 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 40056, 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]. Flinte is at rank #36,327, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈflɪntə].

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 40056, this pair ranks #1,519,275 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Feinde vs Flinte

Shared letters: efin. Private to "Feinde": d. Private to "Flinte": lt.

"Feinde" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV  ·  "Flinte" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Feindeefinde · feidne · feindde · feined · feinnde · fenide · ffeinde · fiende
  • Flintefflinte · filnte · flinet · flinnte · flintte · flitne · fllinte · flnite

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Feinde" and "Flinte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfaɪ̯ndə] versus [ˈflɪntə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Feinde" vs "Flinte" - which ranks higher?
"Feinde" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,729 in our German list, against #36,327 for "Flinte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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 "Flinte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,519,275 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Feinde" and "Flinte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Flaute vs Flinte". 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 #1,519,275 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