fenvsflerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: fen is a noun, fler is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#44,597
“fen” frequency rank
#32,036
“fler” frequency rank
76633
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fen fler
Definition Fenn mehr, eine größere Anzahl (als)

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
fen
4 ch
fler

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fen is [fɛn] while fler is [ˈfleːr]. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76633, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fen is recorded at frequency rank #44,597, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛn]. fler is at rank #32,036, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfleːr].

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 76633, this pair ranks #279,294 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of fen vs fler

Shared letters: ef. Private to "fen": n. Private to "fler": lr.

"fen" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "fler" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • flerfelr · ffler · flerr · fller · flre · lfer

Frequency comparison

fen#44,597
fler#32,036

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fen" and "fler" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fen" is a noun and "fler" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "fen" or "fler"?
"fler" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,036 in our German list, against #44,597 for "fen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fen vs fler

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list