Which to use
“Fes” is a noun and “free” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #39,338
- “Fes” frequency rank
- #3,313
- “free” frequency rank
- 42651
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Fes | free |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | orientalische Kopfbedeckung | ohne eine Bezahlung zu verlangen; nicht mit Kosten verbunden |
Where the eye mixes Fes and free
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Fes with free
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Fes is [feːs] while free is [fɹiː]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42651, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Fes is recorded at frequency rank #39,338, classified as anoun, pronounced [feːs]. free is at rank #3,313, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɹiː].
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 42651, this pair ranks #1,442,799 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Fes vs free
Shared letters: ef. Private to "Fes": s. Private to "free": r.
"Fes" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "free" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- free ← fere · ffree · fre · frree · rfee
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Fes" and "free" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Fes" or "free" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Fes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "free" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,442,799 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Fes" and "free" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fes vs fist". 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 #1,442,799 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.