fem vs Fete, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“fem” is a num and “Fete” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#43,170
“fem” frequency rank: #44,598
“Fete” frequency rank: 87768
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	fem	Fete
Definition	fünf	lockere, ungezwungene Feier

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fem and Fete apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

fem

4 ch

Fete

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fem is [fɛmˀ] while Fete is [ˈfeːtə]. 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 (num vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 87768, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fem is recorded at frequency rank #43,170, classified as anum, pronounced [fɛmˀ]. Fete is at rank #44,598, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfeːtə].

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 87768, this pair ranks #76,221 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of fem vs Fete

Shared letters: ef. Private to "fem": m. Private to "Fete": t.

"fem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "Fete" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

Fete ← efte · ffete · ftee

Frequency comparison

fem#43,170

Fete#44,598

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fem" and "Fete" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fem" is a num and "Fete" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "fem" or "Fete"?

"fem" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #43,170 in our German list, against #44,598 for "Fete". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fem vs Fete

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “fem”; for a noun, it's “Fete”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fem” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable