FersevsFesselWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Ferse” and “Fessel” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#35,767
“Ferse” frequency rank
#48,884
“Fessel” frequency rank
84651
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ferse Fessel
Definition hinterer Teil des Fußes meist bandförmiges Mittel zum Verschnüren und Festbinden von Personen

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Ferse
6 ch
Fessel

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Ferse ([ˈfɛʁzə]) and Fessel ([ˈfɛsl̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 84651, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Ferse is recorded at frequency rank #35,767, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɛʁzə]. Fessel is at rank #48,884, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɛsl̩].

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 84651, this pair ranks #120,381 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Ferse vs Fessel

Shared letters: efs. Private to "Ferse": r. Private to "Fessel": l.

"Ferse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Fessel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Ferseefrse · feres · ferrse · fesre · fferse
  • Fesselefssel · fesel · fesesl · fessell · fessle · feßel · ffessel · fsesel

Frequency comparison

Ferse#35,767
Fessel#48,884

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Ferse" and "Fessel" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɛʁzə] versus [ˈfɛsl̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Ferse" or "Fessel"?
"Ferse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #35,767 in our German list, against #48,884 for "Fessel". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Ferse vs Fessel

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Ferse” 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