Which to use
“feindlich” and “freundlich” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,006
- “feindlich” frequency rank
- #2,956
- “freundlich” frequency rank
- 28962
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | feindlich | freundlich |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | als Feind; wie ein Feind; ein Feind seiend; vom Feind | in der Begegnung mit anderen Menschen, Dingen, Ereignissen positiv eingestellt |
Where the eye mixes feindlich and freundlich
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses feindlich with freundlich
A purely visual mix-up. feindlich ([ˈfaɪ̯ntlɪç]) and freundlich ([ˈfʁɔɪ̯ntlɪç]) 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 28962, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
feindlich is recorded at frequency rank #26,006, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯ntlɪç]. freundlich is at rank #2,956, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfʁɔɪ̯ntlɪç].
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 28962, this pair ranks #1,775,468 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of feindlich vs freundlich
Shared letters: cdefhiln. Private to "feindlich": -. Private to "freundlich": ru.
"feindlich" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCCVCC · "freundlich" · 10 letters · shape CCVVCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- feindlich ← efindlich · feidnlich · feinddlich · feindilch · feindlcih · feindlicch · feindlichh · feindlihc
- freundlich ← ferundlich · ffreundlich · frenudlich · freudnlich · freunddlich · freundilch · freundlcih · freundlicch
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "feindlich" for "freundlich" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "feindlich" or "freundlich" show up more?
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 "feindlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "freundlich" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,775,468 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "feindlich" and "freundlich" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "feindlich vs feindliches". 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 #1,775,468 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.