fieldvsfilsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“field” and “fils” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#17,888
“field” frequency rank
#49,670
“fils” frequency rank
67558
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature field fils
Definition Feld, Acker männlicher Nachkomme: Sohn

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set field and fils apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
field
4 ch
fils

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. field ([fiːld]) and fils ([fis]) 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 67558, 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]. fils is at rank #49,670, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fis].

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 67558, this pair ranks #536,220 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of field vs fils

Shared letters: fil. Private to "field": de. Private to "fils": s.

"field" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC  ·  "fils" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fieldfeild · ffield · fiedl · fieldd · fielld · filed · ifeld
  • filsffils · fills · filss · fisl · flis · ifls

Frequency comparison

field#17,888
fils#49,670

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "field" and "fils" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fiːld] versus [fis]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "field" or "fils"?
"field" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,888 in our German list, against #49,670 for "fils". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering field vs fils

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “field” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list