FeindenvsFernenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#15,358
“Feinden” frequency rank
#12,910
“Fernen” frequency rank
28268
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Feinden Fernen
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Feind Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Ferne

Where the eye mixes Feinden and Fernen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
Feinden
6 ch
Fernen

Look-alike desk: Feinden vs Fernen

A purely visual mix-up. Feinden ([ˈfaɪ̯ndn̩]) and Fernen ([ˈfɛʁnən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28268, 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]. Fernen is at rank #12,910, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɛʁnən].

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 28268, this pair ranks #1,787,754 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Feinden vs Fernen

Shared letters: efn. Private to "Feinden": di. Private to "Fernen": r.

"Feinden" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC  ·  "Fernen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Feindenefinden · feidnen · feindden · feindenn · feindne · feinedn · feinnden · feniden
  • Fernenefrnen · fenren · ferenn · fernenn · fernnen · ferrnen · ffernen · frenen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Feinden" and "Fernen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfaɪ̯ndn̩] versus [ˈfɛʁnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Feinden" vs "Fernen" - which ranks higher?
"Fernen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,910 in our German list, against #15,358 for "Feinden". 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 "Feinden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Fernen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,787,754 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Feinden" and "Fernen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fahnden vs Feinden". 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 #1,787,754 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