Which to use
“field” and “file” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,888
- “field” frequency rank
- #24,335
- “file” frequency rank
- 42223
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | field | file |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Feld, Acker | Behältnis zur geordneten Aufbewahrung von Briefen oder anderen Dokumenten |
Where the eye mixes field and file
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses field with file
A purely visual mix-up. field ([fiːld]) and file ([faɪl]) 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 42223, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
field is recorded at frequency rank #17,888, classified as anoun, pronounced [fiːld]. file is at rank #24,335, tagged as anoun, pronounced [faɪl].
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 42223, this pair ranks #1,455,948 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of field vs file
Shared letters: efil. Private to "field": d. Private to "file": -.
"field" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "file" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "field" and "file" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "field" vs "file" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "field" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "file" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,455,948 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "field" and "file" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "file 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 #1,455,948 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.