FötusvsFoulsWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#29,134
“Fötus” frequency rank
#48,153
“Fouls” frequency rank
77287
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Fötus Fouls
Definition Embryo ab dem dritten Monat einer Schwangerschaft Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Foul

Where the eye mixes Fötus and Fouls

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Fötus (CVCVC) and Fouls (CVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

5 ch
Fötus
5 ch
Fouls

Why the eye confuses Fötus with Fouls

A purely visual mix-up. Fötus ([ˈføːtʊs]) and Fouls ([faʊ̯ls]) 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 77287, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Fötus is recorded at frequency rank #29,134, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈføːtʊs]. Fouls is at rank #48,153, tagged as anoun, pronounced [faʊ̯ls].

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 77287, this pair ranks #264,245 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Fötus vs Fouls

Shared letters: fsu. Private to "Fötus": tö. Private to "Fouls": lo.

"Fötus" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Fouls" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Fouls ← ffouls · folus · foulls · foulss · fousl · fuols · ofuls

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Fötus" and "Fouls" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈføːtʊs] versus [faʊ̯ls]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Fötus" or "Fouls"?
"Fötus" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,134 in our German list, against #48,153 for "Fouls". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Fötus" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Fouls" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #264,245 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Fötus" and "Fouls" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fils 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 #264,245 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