vielfachvsvierfacheConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#6,021
“vielfach” frequency rank
#35,529
“vierfache” frequency rank
41550
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vielfach vierfache
Definition einige Male so groß Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs vierfach

Where the eye mixes vielfach and vierfache

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. vielfach runs 8 letters (CVVCCVCC) against vierfache's 9 (CVVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
vielfach
9 ch
vierfache

Why the eye confuses vielfach with vierfache

A purely visual mix-up. vielfach ([ˈfiːlfax]) and vierfache ([ˈfiːɐ̯faxə]) 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 41550, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vielfach is recorded at frequency rank #6,021, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfiːlfax]. vierfache is at rank #35,529, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfiːɐ̯faxə].

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 41550, this pair ranks #1,476,088 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vielfach vs vierfache

Shared letters: acefhiv. Private to "vielfach": l. Private to "vierfache": r.

"vielfach" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCC  ·  "vierfache" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vielfach ← ivelfach · veilfach · vieflach · vielafch · vielfacch · vielfachh · vielfahc · vielfcah
  • vierfache ← iverfache · veirfache · viefrache · vierafche · vierfacche · vierfaceh · vierfachhe · vierfahce

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "vielfach" for "vierfache" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfiːlfax] versus [ˈfiːɐ̯faxə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "vielfach" vs "vierfache" - which ranks higher?
"vielfach" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,021 in our German list, against #35,529 for "vierfache". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "vielfach" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "vierfache" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,476,088 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "vielfach" and "vierfache" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vierfach vs vierfache". 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 #1,476,088 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list