Which to use
“fils” is a noun and “fis” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,670
- “fils” frequency rank
- #26,408
- “fis” frequency rank
- 76078
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fils | fis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | männlicher Nachkomme: Sohn | 1. Person Singulra Indikativ historisches Perfekt Aktiv des Verbs faire |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fils and fis apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fils is [fis] while fis is [fi]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76078, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fils is recorded at frequency rank #49,670, classified as anoun, pronounced [fis]. fis is at rank #26,408, tagged as averb, pronounced [fi].
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 76078, this pair ranks #292,317 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of fils vs fis
Shared letters: fis. Private to "fils": l. Private to "fis": -.
"fils" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "fis" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- fils ← ffils · fills · filss · fisl · flis · ifls
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fils" and "fis" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fils" or "fis"?
Remembering fils vs fis
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “fils”; for a verb, it's “fis”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fils” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable