Which to use
“free” and “fremd” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,313
- “free” frequency rank
- #6,923
- “fremd” frequency rank
- 10236
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | free | fremd |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ohne eine Bezahlung zu verlangen; nicht mit Kosten verbunden | nicht bekannt, fremdartig |
Where the eye mixes free and fremd
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses free with fremd
A purely visual mix-up. free ([fɹiː]) and fremd ([fʁɛmt]) 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 10236, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
free is recorded at frequency rank #3,313, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɹiː]. fremd is at rank #6,923, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fʁɛmt].
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 10236, this pair ranks #1,976,118 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of free vs fremd
Shared letters: efr. Private to "free": -. Private to "fremd": dm.
"free" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "fremd" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "free" for "fremd" ever safe?
Frequency check: "free" vs "fremd" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "free" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fremd" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,976,118 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "free" and "fremd" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "free vs friere". 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 #1,976,118 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.