filevsFilmesTell them apart

Which to use

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

#24,335
“file” frequency rank
#33,045
“Filmes” frequency rank
57380
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature file Filmes
Definition Behältnis zur geordneten Aufbewahrung von Briefen oder anderen Dokumenten Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Film

Where the eye mixes file and Filmes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

4 ch
file
6 ch
Filmes

Look-alike desk: file vs Filmes

A purely visual mix-up. file ([faɪl]) and Filmes ([ˈfɪlməs]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57380, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

file is recorded at frequency rank #24,335, classified as anoun, pronounced [faɪl]. Filmes is at rank #33,045, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɪlməs].

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 57380, this pair ranks #903,593 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of file vs Filmes

Shared letters: efil. Private to "file": -. Private to "Filmes": ms.

"file" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Filmes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fileffile · fille · flie · ifle
  • Filmesffilmes · filems · fillmes · filmess · filmmes · filmse · fimles · flimes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "file" and "Filmes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([faɪl] versus [ˈfɪlməs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "file" or "Filmes" show up more?
"file" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,335 in our German list, against #33,045 for "Filmes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "file" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Filmes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #903,593 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "file" and "Filmes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Filmes vs fils". 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 #903,593 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