filesvsfritesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#31,544
“files” frequency rank
#39,355
“frites” frequency rank
70899
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature files frites
Definition Plural des Substantivs file Deutsch: Fritte, Fritten

Letter map: files vs frites

Shared letters muted; letters that set files and frites apart highlighted. Shared run: 4. files runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against frites's 6 (CCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
files
6 ch
frites

Corpus notes: files and frites

files and frites are indexed as a confusable German pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70899, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

files is recorded at frequency rank #31,544, classified as anoun, pronounced [faɪlz]. frites is at rank #39,355, tagged as anoun, pronounced […].

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 70899, this pair ranks #432,631 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of files vs frites

Shared letters: efis. Private to "files": l. Private to "frites": rt.

"files" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "frites" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • files ← ffiles · fiels · filess · filles · filse · flies · ifles
  • frites ← ffrites · firtes · friets · fritess · fritse · frittes · frrites · frties

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "files" for "frites" ever safe?
No. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Frequency check: "files" vs "frites" - which ranks higher?
"files" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,544 in our German list, against #39,355 for "frites". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "files" and "frites".

  • Full dictionary entry for "files" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "frites" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #432,631 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "files" and "frites" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "frites vs puzzles". 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 #432,631 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