fistvsfrisstWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#49,674
“fist” frequency rank
#9,196
“frisst” frequency rank
58870
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fist frisst
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fisten 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fressen

Where the eye mixes fist and frisst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. fist runs 4 letters (CVCC) against frisst's 6 (CCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

4 ch
fist
6 ch
frisst

Visual trap between fist and frisst

A purely visual mix-up. fist ([fɪst]) and frisst ([fʁɪst]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58870, 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]. frisst is at rank #9,196, tagged as averb, pronounced [fʁɪst].

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 58870, this pair ranks #846,156 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of fist vs frisst

Shared letters: fist. Private to "fist": -. Private to "frisst": r.

"fist" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "frisst" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fist ← ffist · fisst · fistt · fits · fsit · ifst
  • frisst ← ffrisst · frisstt · frists · frißt · frrisst · frsist · rfisst

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fist" and "frisst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɪst] versus [fʁɪst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "fist" vs "frisst" - which ranks higher?
"frisst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,196 in our German list, against #49,674 for "fist". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "fist" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "frisst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #846,156 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "fist" and "frisst" 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 #846,156 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