Which to use
“Fee” is a noun and “für” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,653
- “Fee” frequency rank
- #24,219
- “für” frequency rank
- 73872
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Fee | für |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Fée. | Pour, à l’intention de. |
Where the eye mixes Fee and für
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. Fee (CVV) and für (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Fee with für
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Fee is \feː\ while für is \fyːɐ̯\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73872, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Fee is recorded at frequency rank #49,653, classified as anoun, pronounced \feː\. für is at rank #24,219, tagged as aprep, pronounced \fyːɐ̯\.
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 73872, this pair ranks #39,013 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Fee vs für
Shared letters: f. Private to "Fee": e. Private to "für": rü.
"Fee" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "für" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Fee" and "für" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Fee" or "für"?
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 "Fee" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "für" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #39,013 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Fee" and "für" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fee vs FPR". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #39,013 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.