Which to use
“Filter” and “Folter” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,945
- “Filter” frequency rank
- #8,364
- “Folter” frequency rank
- 14309
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Filter | Folter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Material zur Trennung oder Aussonderung bestimmter Substanzen | die Misshandlung oder das Zufügen von körperlichen und seelischen Schmerzen |
Where the eye mixes Filter and Folter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Filter with Folter
A purely visual mix-up. Filter ([ˈfɪltɐ]) and Folter ([ˈfɔltɐ]) 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 a single letter - i in “Filter” becomes o in “Folter”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14309, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Filter is recorded at frequency rank #5,945, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɪltɐ]. Folter is at rank #8,364, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɔltɐ].
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 14309, this pair ranks #1,952,110 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Filter vs Folter
Shared letters: eflrt. Private to "Filter": i. Private to "Folter": o.
"Filter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Folter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Filter" and "Folter" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Filter" or "Folter"?
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 "Filter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Folter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,952,110 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Filter" and "Folter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Filet vs Filter". 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 #1,952,110 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.