Which to use
“Ferse” and “First” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,767
- “Ferse” frequency rank
- #4,197
- “First” frequency rank
- 39964
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ferse | First |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | hinterer Teil des Fußes | höchste Kante an einem geneigten Dach |
Where the eye mixes Ferse and First
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Ferse and First
A purely visual mix-up. Ferse ([ˈfɛʁzə]) and First ([fɪʁst]) 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 39964, 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]. First is at rank #4,197, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɪʁst].
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 39964, this pair ranks #1,521,915 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ferse vs First
Shared letters: frs. Private to "Ferse": e. Private to "First": it.
"Ferse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "First" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Ferse" for "First" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Ferse" or "First"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ferse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "First" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,521,915 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ferse" and "First" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ferry vs Ferse". 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 #1,521,915 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.