Which to use
“unfähig” and “unfair” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,957
- “unfähig” frequency rank
- #9,472
- “unfair” frequency rank
- 20429
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unfähig | unfair |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht die nötigen Kenntnisse oder Fertigkeiten für die Erfüllung einer Aufgabe habend; einer Tätigkeit nicht gewachsen | nicht (moralisch, ethisch) gerecht (fair) oder nicht den (sportlichen, zwischenmenschlichen) Regeln (der Fairness) entsprechend |
Where the eye mixes unfähig and unfair
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. unfähig runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against unfair's 6 (VCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between unfähig and unfair
A purely visual mix-up. unfähig ([ˈʊnˌfɛːɪç]) and unfair ([ˈʊnˌfɛːɐ̯]) 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 20429, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unfähig is recorded at frequency rank #10,957, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʊnˌfɛːɪç]. unfair is at rank #9,472, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʊnˌfɛːɐ̯].
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 20429, this pair ranks #1,897,786 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of unfähig vs unfair
Shared letters: finu. Private to "unfähig": ghä. Private to "unfair": ar.
"unfähig" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "unfair" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unfair ← nufair · ufnair · unafir · unfairr · unfari · unffair · unfiar · unnfair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "unfähig" for "unfair" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "unfähig" or "unfair" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "unfähig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unfair" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,897,786 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unfähig" and "unfair" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unfähig vs unfähigen". 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 #1,897,786 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.