Which to use
“fem” is a num and “free” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,170
- “fem” frequency rank
- #3,313
- “free” frequency rank
- 46483
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fem | free |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | fünf | ohne eine Bezahlung zu verlangen; nicht mit Kosten verbunden |
Where the eye mixes fem and free
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between fem and free
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fem is [fɛmˀ] while free is [fɹiː]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46483, 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]. free is at rank #3,313, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɹiː].
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 46483, this pair ranks #1,317,537 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fem vs free
Shared letters: ef. Private to "fem": m. Private to "free": r.
"fem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "free" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- free ← fere · ffree · fre · frree · rfee
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fem" for "free" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "fem" or "free" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "fem" and "free" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "free" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,317,537 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fem" and "free" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fem vs firm". 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 #1,317,537 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.