Which to use
“feindlich” and “friedlich” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,006
- “feindlich” frequency rank
- #5,588
- “friedlich” frequency rank
- 31594
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | feindlich | friedlich |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | als Feind; wie ein Feind; ein Feind seiend; vom Feind | ohne Gewalt und Krieg; in Frieden |
Where the eye mixes feindlich and friedlich
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses feindlich with friedlich
A purely visual mix-up. feindlich ([ˈfaɪ̯ntlɪç]) and friedlich ([ˈfʁiːtlɪç]) 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 31594, 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]. friedlich is at rank #5,588, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfʁiːtlɪç].
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 31594, this pair ranks #1,724,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of feindlich vs friedlich
Shared letters: cdefhil. Private to "feindlich": n. Private to "friedlich": r.
"feindlich" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCCVCC · "friedlich" · 9 letters · shape CCVVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "feindlich" and "friedlich" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "feindlich" or "friedlich"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "feindlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "friedlich" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,724,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "feindlich" and "friedlich" 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 #1,724,977 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.