filevsFilterConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#24,335
“file” frequency rank
#5,945
“Filter” frequency rank
30280
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature file Filter
Definition Behältnis zur geordneten Aufbewahrung von Briefen oder anderen Dokumenten Material zur Trennung oder Aussonderung bestimmter Substanzen

Where the eye mixes file and Filter

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

4 ch
file
6 ch
Filter

Look-alike desk: file vs Filter

A purely visual mix-up. file ([faɪl]) and Filter ([ˈfɪltɐ]) 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 30280, 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]. Filter is at rank #5,945, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɪltɐ].

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 30280, this pair ranks #1,750,939 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of file vs Filter

Shared letters: efil. Private to "file": -. Private to "Filter": rt.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fileffile · fille · flie · ifle
  • Filterffilter · filetr · fillter · filterr · filtre · filtter · fitler · fliter

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "file" and "Filter" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([faɪl] versus [ˈfɪltɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "file" vs "Filter" - which ranks higher?
"Filter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,945 in our German list, against #24,335 for "file". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "file" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Filter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,750,939 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "file" and "Filter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "file 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 #1,750,939 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