Which to use
“fil” and “Filz” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #43,176
- “fil” frequency rank
- #24,717
- “Filz” frequency rank
- 67893
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fil | Filz |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mächtiges Säugetier mit Rüssel und Stoßzähnen; Elefant | wirrer Faserstoff, der aus nicht gesponnenen (Tier)haaren oder Wolle durch Zusammenpressen hergestellt wird |
Where the eye mixes fil and Filz
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. fil runs 3 letters (CVC) against Filz's 4 (CVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between fil and Filz
A purely visual mix-up. fil ([fiɫ]) and Filz ([fɪlt͡s]) 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 extra letter(s) - “fil” sits inside “Filz”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67893, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fil is recorded at frequency rank #43,176, classified as anoun, pronounced [fiɫ]. Filz is at rank #24,717, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɪlt͡s].
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 67893, this pair ranks #525,290 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fil vs Filz
Shared letters: fil. Private to "fil": -. Private to "Filz": z.
"fil" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "Filz" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Filz ← ffilz · fillz · filzz · fizl · fliz · iflz
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fil" for "Filz" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fil" or "Filz"?
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 "fil" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Filz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #525,290 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fil" and "Filz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fil 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 #525,290 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.