Which to use
“fidel” and “fies” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,406
- “fidel” frequency rank
- #17,292
- “fies” frequency rank
- 43698
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fidel | fies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in bester Laune | Ekel erregend unangenehm |
Where the eye mixes fidel and fies
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between fidel and fies
A purely visual mix-up. fidel ([fiˈdeːl]) and fies ([fiːs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43698, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fidel is recorded at frequency rank #26,406, classified as anadj, pronounced [fiˈdeːl]. fies is at rank #17,292, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fiːs].
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 43698, this pair ranks #1,409,787 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fidel vs fies
Shared letters: efi. Private to "fidel": dl. Private to "fies": s.
"fidel" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "fies" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fidel" and "fies" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "fidel" vs "fies" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fidel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fies" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,409,787 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fidel" and "fies" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fidel vs Filet". 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 #1,409,787 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.