FiletvsfilsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#48,889
“Filet” frequency rank
#49,670
“fils” frequency rank
98559
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Filet fils
Definition schmales, meist zartes Fleischstück von Rind, Schwein, Huhn oder entgrätetem Fisch männlicher Nachkomme: Sohn

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Filet and fils apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Filet
4 ch
fils

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Filet ([fiˈleː]) and fils ([fis]) 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 98559, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Filet is recorded at frequency rank #48,889, classified as anoun, pronounced [fiˈleː]. fils is at rank #49,670, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fis].

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 98559, this pair ranks #1,195 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Filet vs fils

Shared letters: fil. Private to "Filet": et. Private to "fils": s.

"Filet" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "fils" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Filetffilet · fielt · filett · fillet · filte · fliet · iflet
  • filsffils · fills · filss · fisl · flis · ifls

Frequency comparison

Filet#48,889
fils#49,670

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Filet" and "fils" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fiˈleː] versus [fis]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Filet" or "fils"?
"Filet" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #48,889 in our German list, against #49,670 for "fils". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Filet vs fils

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Filet” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list