Which to use
“Phase” and “Phrase” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,407
- “Phase” frequency rank
- #21,729
- “Phrase” frequency rank
- 24136
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Phase | Phrase |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | stetig verlaufender Entwicklungsabschnitt oder stetiger zeitlicher Ablauf | syntaktisch zusammengehörige Wortgruppe (Konstituente) |
Where the eye mixes Phase and Phrase
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Phase with Phrase
A purely visual mix-up. Phase ([ˈfaːzə]) and Phrase ([ˈfʁaːzə]) 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 24136, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Phase is recorded at frequency rank #2,407, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfaːzə]. Phrase is at rank #21,729, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfʁaːzə].
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 24136, this pair ranks #1,851,878 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Phase vs Phrase
Shared letters: aehps. Private to "Phase": -. Private to "Phrase": r.
"Phase" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "Phrase" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Phase" for "Phrase" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Phase" or "Phrase"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Phase" and "Phrase" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Phase" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Phrase" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,851,878 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Phase" and "Phrase" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Phrase vs Präses". 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 #1,851,878 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.