FeindenvsFeindesWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#15,358
“Feinden” frequency rank
#22,720
“Feindes” frequency rank
38078
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Feinden Feindes
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Feind Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Feind

Where the eye mixes Feinden and Feindes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

7 ch
Feinden
7 ch
Feindes

Why the eye confuses Feinden with Feindes

A purely visual mix-up. Feinden ([ˈfaɪ̯ndn̩]) and Feindes ([ˈfaɪ̯ndəs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - n in “Feinden” becomes s in “Feindes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38078, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Feinden is recorded at frequency rank #15,358, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯ndn̩]. Feindes is at rank #22,720, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯ndəs].

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 38078, this pair ranks #1,573,364 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Feinden vs Feindes

Shared letters: defin. Private to "Feinden": -. Private to "Feindes": s.

"Feinden" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC  ·  "Feindes" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Feindenefinden · feidnen · feindden · feindenn · feindne · feinedn · feinnden · feniden
  • Feindesefindes · feidnes · feinddes · feindess · feindse · feineds · feinndes · fenides

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Feinden" and "Feindes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfaɪ̯ndn̩] versus [ˈfaɪ̯ndəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Feinden" or "Feindes" show up more?
"Feinden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,358 in our German list, against #22,720 for "Feindes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Feinden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Feindes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,573,364 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Feinden" and "Feindes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Feindes 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 #1,573,364 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