feinesvsfilesTell them apart

Quick tell: feines is a adjective, files is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“feines” is an adjective and “files” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#11,051
“feines” frequency rank
#31,544
“files” frequency rank
42595
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature feines files
Definition Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs fein Plural des Substantivs file

Where the eye mixes feines and files

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
feines
5 ch
files

Visual trap between feines and files

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: feines is [ˈfaɪ̯nəs] while files is [faɪlz]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42595, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

feines is recorded at frequency rank #11,051, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯nəs]. files is at rank #31,544, tagged as anoun, pronounced [faɪlz].

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 42595, this pair ranks #1,444,517 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of feines vs files

Shared letters: efis. Private to "feines": n. Private to "files": l.

"feines" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "files" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • feinesefines · feiens · feiness · feinnes · feinse · fenies · ffeines · fienes
  • filesffiles · fiels · filess · filles · filse · flies · ifles

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "feines" and "files" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "feines" is an adjective and "files" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "feines" vs "files" - which ranks higher?
"feines" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,051 in our German list, against #31,544 for "files". 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 "feines" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "files" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,444,517 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "feines" and "files" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "files vs fils". 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 #1,444,517 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