fernvsFeuernWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: fern is a adjective, Feuern is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#4,196
“fern” frequency rank
#18,239
“Feuern” frequency rank
22435
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fern Feuern
Definition weit weg vom bezeichneten Ort Dativ Plural des Substantivs Feuer

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fern and Feuern apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
fern
6 ch
Feuern

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fern is [fɛʁn] while Feuern is [ˈfɔɪ̯ɐn]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22435, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fern is recorded at frequency rank #4,196, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛʁn]. Feuern is at rank #18,239, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɔɪ̯ɐn].

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 22435, this pair ranks #1,874,212 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fern vs Feuern

Shared letters: efnr. Private to "fern": -. Private to "Feuern": u.

"fern" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Feuern" · 6 letters · shape CVVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fernefrn · fenr · fernn · ferrn · ffern · fren
  • Feuernefuern · feeurn · feuenr · feuernn · feuerrn · feuren · ffeuern · fueern

Frequency comparison

fern#4,196
Feuern#18,239

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fern" and "Feuern" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fern" is an adjective and "Feuern" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "fern" or "Feuern"?
"fern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,196 in our German list, against #18,239 for "Feuern". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fern vs Feuern

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “fern”; for a noun, it's “Feuern”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fern” 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