feinstenvsfinsterWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#12,490
“feinsten” frequency rank
#23,932
“finster” frequency rank
36422
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature feinsten finster
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs fein sehr dunkel

Where the eye mixes feinsten and finster

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. feinsten runs 8 letters (CVVCCCVC) against finster's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
feinsten
7 ch
finster

Look-alike desk: feinsten vs finster

A purely visual mix-up. feinsten ([ˈfaɪ̯nstn̩]) and finster ([ˈfɪnstɐ]) 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 36422, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

feinsten is recorded at frequency rank #12,490, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯nstn̩]. finster is at rank #23,932, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfɪnstɐ].

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 36422, this pair ranks #1,616,010 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of feinsten vs finster

Shared letters: efinst. Private to "feinsten": -. Private to "finster": r.

"feinsten" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCCVC  ·  "finster" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • feinstenefinsten · feinnsten · feinsetn · feinssten · feinstenn · feinstne · feinstten · feintsen
  • finsterffinster · finnster · finsetr · finsster · finsterr · finstre · finstter · fintser

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "feinsten" and "finster" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfaɪ̯nstn̩] versus [ˈfɪnstɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "feinsten" or "finster"?
"feinsten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,490 in our German list, against #23,932 for "finster". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "feinsten" and "finster" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "feinsten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "finster" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,616,010 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "feinsten" and "finster" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "feinster vs finster". 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 #1,616,010 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