Which to use
“frei” is an adjective and “Freier” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #544
- “frei” frequency rank
- #3,443
- “Freier” frequency rank
- 3987
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | frei | Freier |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | unabhängig, nicht gefangen, nicht versklavt | Mann, der eine Frau umwirbt, um sie zu heiraten |
Where the eye mixes frei and Freier
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses frei with Freier
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: frei is [fʁaɪ̯] while Freier is [ˈfʁaɪ̯ɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “frei” sits inside “Freier”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3987, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
frei is recorded at frequency rank #544, classified as anadj, pronounced [fʁaɪ̯]. Freier is at rank #3,443, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfʁaɪ̯ɐ].
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 3987, this pair ranks #1,998,858 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of frei vs Freier
Shared letters: efir. Private to "frei": -. Private to "Freier": -.
"frei" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "Freier" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "frei" and "Freier" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "frei" vs "Freier" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "frei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Freier" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,998,858 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "frei" and "Freier" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Freier 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 #1,998,858 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.