Which to use
“fremd” is an adjective and “friend” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,923
- “fremd” frequency rank
- #20,584
- “friend” frequency rank
- 27507
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fremd | friend |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht bekannt, fremdartig | meist nicht zur Familie gehörende Person, die man gut kennt und die man mag, mit der man gern Umgang hat |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fremd and friend apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fremd is [fʁɛmt] while friend is [fɹɛnd]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27507, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fremd is recorded at frequency rank #6,923, classified as anadj, pronounced [fʁɛmt]. friend is at rank #20,584, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɹɛnd].
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 27507, this pair ranks #1,800,657 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fremd vs friend
Shared letters: defr. Private to "fremd": m. Private to "friend": in.
"fremd" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "friend" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fremd" and "friend" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fremd" or "friend"?
Remembering fremd vs friend
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “fremd”; for a noun, it's “friend”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fremd” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable