Which to use
“fester” is an adjective and “foster” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,534
- “fester” frequency rank
- #18,247
- “foster” frequency rank
- 24781
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fester | foster |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs fest | nähren, pflegen, aufziehen |
Where the eye mixes fester and foster
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fester vs foster
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fester is [ˈfɛstɐ] while foster is [fɒstə(r)]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “fester” becomes o in “foster”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24781, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fester is recorded at frequency rank #6,534, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfɛstɐ]. foster is at rank #18,247, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɒstə(r)].
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 24781, this pair ranks #1,842,846 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fester vs foster
Shared letters: efrst. Private to "fester": -. Private to "foster": o.
"fester" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "foster" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fester" and "foster" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "fester" vs "foster" - which ranks higher?
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 "fester" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "foster" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,842,846 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fester" and "foster" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fitter vs foster". 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 #1,842,846 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.