FondsvsFötusWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#4,882
“Fonds” frequency rank
#29,134
“Fötus” frequency rank
34016
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Fonds Fötus
Definition Vermögensreserve für bestimmte Zwecke Embryo ab dem dritten Monat einer Schwangerschaft

Where the eye mixes Fonds and Fötus

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Fonds (CVCCC) and Fötus (CVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

5 ch
Fonds
5 ch
Fötus

Look-alike desk: Fonds vs Fötus

A purely visual mix-up. Fonds ([fɔ̃ː]) and Fötus ([ˈføːtʊs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34016, 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]. Fötus is at rank #29,134, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈføːtʊs].

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 34016, this pair ranks #1,672,886 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Fonds vs Fötus

Shared letters: fs. Private to "Fonds": dno. Private to "Fötus": tuö.

"Fonds" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "Fötus" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Fonds ← ffonds · fnods · fodns · fondds · fondss · fonnds · fonsd · ofnds

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Fonds" and "Fötus" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([fɔ̃ː] versus [ˈføːtʊs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Fonds" or "Fötus"?
"Fonds" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,882 in our German list, against #29,134 for "Fötus". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Fonds" and "Fötus" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Fonds" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Fötus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,672,886 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Fonds" and "Fötus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fötus vs Fouls". 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 #1,672,886 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