FersevsFetteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#35,767
“Ferse” frequency rank
#5,944
“Fette” frequency rank
41711
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ferse Fette
Definition hinterer Teil des Fußes Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Fett

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Ferse and Fette apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Ferse
5 ch
Fette

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Ferse ([ˈfɛʁzə]) and Fette ([ˈfɛtə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41711, 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]. Fette is at rank #5,944, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɛtə].

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 41711, this pair ranks #1,471,340 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Ferse vs Fette

Shared letters: ef. Private to "Ferse": rs. Private to "Fette": t.

"Ferse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Fette" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Ferseefrse · feres · ferrse · fesre · fferse
  • Fetteeftte · fetet · ffette · ftete

Frequency comparison

Ferse#35,767
Fette#5,944

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Ferse" and "Fette" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɛʁzə] versus [ˈfɛtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Ferse" or "Fette"?
"Fette" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,944 in our German list, against #35,767 for "Ferse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Ferse vs Fette

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