Which to use
“fist” and “friss” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,674
- “fist” frequency rank
- #43,886
- “friss” frequency rank
- 93560
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fist | friss |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fisten | 2. Person Singular Präsens Imperativ Aktiv des Verbs fressen |
Where the eye mixes fist and friss
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fist with friss
A purely visual mix-up. fist ([fɪst]) and friss ([fʁɪs]) 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 93560, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fist is recorded at frequency rank #49,674, classified as averb, pronounced [fɪst]. friss is at rank #43,886, tagged as averb, pronounced [fʁɪs].
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 93560, this pair ranks #22,060 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of fist vs friss
Shared letters: fis. Private to "fist": t. Private to "friss": r.
"fist" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "friss" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fist" for "friss" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fist" or "friss"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fist" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "friss" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #22,060 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fist" and "friss" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "firm 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 #22,060 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.