Which to use
“feinen” and “fingen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,318
- “feinen” frequency rank
- #18,242
- “fingen” frequency rank
- 25560
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | feinen | fingen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Metall durch Entfernen von Verunreinigungen veredeln | 1. Person Plural Präteritum Indikativ des Verbs fangen |
Where the eye mixes feinen and fingen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. feinen (CVVCVC) and fingen (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: feinen vs fingen
A purely visual mix-up. feinen ([ˈfaɪ̯nən]) and fingen ([ˈfɪŋən]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25560, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
feinen is recorded at frequency rank #7,318, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯nən]. fingen is at rank #18,242, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfɪŋən].
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 25560, this pair ranks #1,831,413 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of feinen vs fingen
Shared letters: efin. Private to "feinen": -. Private to "fingen": g.
"feinen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "fingen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "feinen" and "fingen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "feinen" or "fingen"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "feinen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fingen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,831,413 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "feinen" and "fingen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fingen vs fingers". 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 #1,831,413 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.