Which to use
“Ferse” and “Fürst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,767
- “Ferse” frequency rank
- #5,834
- “Fürst” frequency rank
- 41601
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ferse | Fürst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | hinterer Teil des Fußes | hoher Adliger im Rang zwischen Graf und Herzog |
Where the eye mixes Ferse and Fürst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Ferse (CVCCV) and Fürst (CVCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Ferse and Fürst
A purely visual mix-up. Ferse ([ˈfɛʁzə]) and Fürst ([fʏʁst]) 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 41601, 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]. Fürst is at rank #5,834, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fʏʁst].
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 41601, this pair ranks #1,474,574 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Ferse vs Fürst
Shared letters: frs. Private to "Ferse": e. Private to "Fürst": tü.
"Ferse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Fürst" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Ferse ← efrse · feres · ferrse · fesre · fferse
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Ferse" and "Fürst" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Ferse" or "Fürst" show up more?
After this comparison
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 "Fürst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,474,574 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ferse" and "Fürst" 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 #1,474,574 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.