Which to use
“fies” and “frei” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,292
- “fies” frequency rank
- #544
- “frei” frequency rank
- 17836
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fies | frei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ekel erregend unangenehm | unabhängig, nicht gefangen, nicht versklavt |
Where the eye mixes fies and frei
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fies vs frei
A purely visual mix-up. fies ([fiːs]) and frei ([fʁaɪ̯]) 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 17836, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fies is recorded at frequency rank #17,292, classified as anadj, pronounced [fiːs]. frei is at rank #544, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fʁaɪ̯].
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 17836, this pair ranks #1,923,816 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fies vs frei
Shared letters: efi. Private to "fies": s. Private to "frei": r.
"fies" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "frei" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fies" for "frei" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fies" or "frei"?
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 "fies" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "frei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,923,816 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fies" and "frei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fies 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 #1,923,816 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.