FiktionvsFunktionWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#16,146
“Fiktion” frequency rank
#1,387
“Funktion” frequency rank
17533
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Fiktion Funktion
Definition etwas Ausgedachtes Aufgabe, Sinn und Zweck

Where the eye mixes Fiktion and Funktion

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Fiktion runs 7 letters (CVCCVVC) against Funktion's 8 (CVCCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Fiktion
8 ch
Funktion

Why the eye confuses Fiktion with Funktion

A purely visual mix-up. Fiktion ([fɪkˈt͡si̯oːn]) and Funktion ([fʊŋkˈt͡si̯oːn]) 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 17533, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Fiktion is recorded at frequency rank #16,146, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɪkˈt͡si̯oːn]. Funktion is at rank #1,387, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fʊŋkˈt͡si̯oːn].

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 17533, this pair ranks #1,926,551 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Fiktion vs Funktion

Shared letters: fiknot. Private to "Fiktion": -. Private to "Funktion": u.

"Fiktion" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "Funktion" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Fiktion ← ffiktion · fikiton · fikktion · fiktino · fiktionn · fiktoin · fikttion · fitkion
  • Funktion ← ffunktion · fnuktion · fukntion · funkiton · funkktion · funktino · funktionn · funktoin

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Fiktion" for "Funktion" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fɪkˈt͡si̯oːn] versus [fʊŋkˈt͡si̯oːn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Fiktion" vs "Funktion" - which ranks higher?
"Funktion" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,387 in our German list, against #16,146 for "Fiktion". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "Fiktion" and "Funktion" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Fiktion" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Funktion" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,926,551 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Fiktion" and "Funktion" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fiktion vs fiktiv". 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 #1,926,551 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list