FiletvsFilzConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#48,889
“Filet” frequency rank
#24,717
“Filz” frequency rank
73606
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Filet Filz
Definition schmales, meist zartes Fleischstück von Rind, Schwein, Huhn oder entgrätetem Fisch wirrer Faserstoff, der aus nicht gesponnenen (Tier)haaren oder Wolle durch Zusammenpressen hergestellt wird

Where the eye mixes Filet and Filz

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Filet runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against Filz's 4 (CVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
Filet
4 ch
Filz

Visual trap between Filet and Filz

A purely visual mix-up. Filet ([fiˈleː]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73606, 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]. 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 73606, this pair ranks #355,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Filet vs Filz

Shared letters: fil. Private to "Filet": et. Private to "Filz": z.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Filet ← ffilet · fielt · filett · fillet · filte · fliet · iflet
  • Filz ← ffilz · fillz · filzz · fizl · fliz · iflz

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Filet" for "Filz" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fiˈleː] versus [fɪlt͡s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Filet" or "Filz"?
"Filz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,717 in our German list, against #48,889 for "Filet". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Filet" 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 #355,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Filet" and "Filz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Filet 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 #355,769 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