Which to use
“fem” is a num and “fremd” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,170
- “fem” frequency rank
- #6,923
- “fremd” frequency rank
- 50093
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fem | fremd |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | fünf | nicht bekannt, fremdartig |
Where the eye mixes fem and fremd
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. fem runs 3 letters (CVC) against fremd's 5 (CCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between fem and fremd
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fem is [fɛmˀ] while fremd is [fʁɛmt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 50093, 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]. fremd is at rank #6,923, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fʁɛmt].
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 50093, this pair ranks #1,186,899 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fem vs fremd
Shared letters: efm. Private to "fem": -. Private to "fremd": dr.
"fem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "fremd" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- fremd ← fermd · ffremd · fredm · fremdd · fremmd · frmed · frremd · rfemd
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fem" and "fremd" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "fem" vs "fremd" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fremd" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,186,899 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fem" and "fremd" 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 #1,186,899 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.