Which to use
“fetter” and “fettig” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,238
- “fetter” frequency rank
- #43,174
- “fettig” frequency rank
- 61412
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fetter | fettig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs fett | mit Fett beschmiert, getränkt oder beschichtet |
Where the eye mixes fetter and fettig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. fetter and fettig follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses fetter with fettig
A purely visual mix-up. fetter ([ˈfɛtɐ]) and fettig ([ˈfɛtɪç]) 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 61412, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fetter is recorded at frequency rank #18,238, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfɛtɐ]. fettig is at rank #43,174, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfɛtɪç].
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 61412, this pair ranks #750,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fetter vs fettig
Shared letters: eft. Private to "fetter": r. Private to "fettig": gi.
"fetter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "fettig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fetter" and "fettig" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "fetter" vs "fettig" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "fetter" and "fettig" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fetter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fettig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #750,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fetter" and "fettig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fettig vs fettige". 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 #750,769 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.