Which to use
“Pfade” and “Pfote” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,125
- “Pfade” frequency rank
- #40,136
- “Pfote” frequency rank
- 66261
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pfade | Pfote |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Pfad | (mit Ausnahme der Huftiere – vom Rind, Schaf, Schwein abgesehen, deren Extremitäten gelegentlich »Pfoten« anstatt »Klauen« genannt werden – und Primaten) bei landlebenden Säugetieren (zumeist Raubtieren) in Zehen gespaltenes Ende der Extremitäten |
Where the eye mixes Pfade and Pfote
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Pfade and Pfote follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses Pfade with Pfote
A purely visual mix-up. Pfade ([ˈp͡faːdə]) and Pfote ([ˈp͡foːtə]) 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 66261, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pfade is recorded at frequency rank #26,125, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈp͡faːdə]. Pfote is at rank #40,136, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈp͡foːtə].
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 66261, this pair ranks #579,120 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Pfade vs Pfote
Shared letters: efp. Private to "Pfade": ad. Private to "Pfote": ot.
"Pfade" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "Pfote" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Pfade" for "Pfote" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Pfade" or "Pfote" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Pfade" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Pfote" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #579,120 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pfade" and "Pfote" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Pfote vs ponte". 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 #579,120 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.