FremdkörpervsFremdwörterWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#31,553
“Fremdkörper” frequency rank
#44,619
“Fremdwörter” frequency rank
76172
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Fremdkörper Fremdwörter
Definition ein Teil, der nicht Bestandteil eines Ganzen ist (der normalerweise nicht dazu gehört) Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Fremdwort

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Fremdkörper and Fremdwörter apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
Fremdkörper
11 ch
Fremdwörter

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Fremdkörper ([ˈfʁɛmtˌkœʁpɐ]) and Fremdwörter ([ˈfʁɛmtˌvœʁtɐ]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76172, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Fremdkörper is recorded at frequency rank #31,553, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfʁɛmtˌkœʁpɐ]. Fremdwörter is at rank #44,619, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfʁɛmtˌvœʁtɐ].

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 76172, this pair ranks #290,089 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Fremdkörper vs Fremdwörter

Shared letters: defmrö. Private to "Fremdkörper": kp. Private to "Fremdwörter": tw.

"Fremdkörper" · 11 letters · shape CCVCCCVCCVC  ·  "Fremdwörter" · 11 letters · shape CCVCCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

Fremdkörper#31,553
Fremdwörter#44,619

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Fremdkörper" and "Fremdwörter" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfʁɛmtˌkœʁpɐ] versus [ˈfʁɛmtˌvœʁtɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Fremdkörper" or "Fremdwörter"?
"Fremdkörper" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,553 in our German list, against #44,619 for "Fremdwörter". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Fremdkörper vs Fremdwörter

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Fremdkörper” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list