FondsvsFondueConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#4,882
“Fonds” frequency rank
#48,896
“Fondue” frequency rank
53778
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Fonds Fondue
Definition Vermögensreserve für bestimmte Zwecke Gericht, bei dem Brotstücke in eine Zubereitung auf der Basis von geschmolzenem Käse getaucht werden

Where the eye mixes Fonds and Fondue

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Fonds runs 5 letters (CVCCC) against Fondue's 6 (CVCCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
Fonds
6 ch
Fondue

Visual trap between Fonds and Fondue

A purely visual mix-up. Fonds ([fɔ̃ː]) and Fondue ([fɔnˈdyː]) 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 53778, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Fonds is recorded at frequency rank #4,882, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɔ̃ː]. Fondue is at rank #48,896, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɔnˈdyː].

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 53778, this pair ranks #1,044,573 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Fonds vs Fondue

Shared letters: dfno. Private to "Fonds": s. Private to "Fondue": eu.

"Fonds" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "Fondue" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Fonds ← ffonds · fnods · fodns · fondds · fondss · fonnds · fonsd · ofnds
  • Fondue ← ffondue · fnodue · fodnue · fonddue · fondeu · fonndue · fonude · ofndue

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Fonds" for "Fondue" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fɔ̃ː] versus [fɔnˈdyː]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Fonds" or "Fondue"?
"Fonds" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,882 in our German list, against #48,896 for "Fondue". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "Fonds" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Fondue" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,044,573 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Fonds" and "Fondue" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fondue vs Fundus". 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 #1,044,573 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