Which to use
“fechten” and “flechten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,573
- “fechten” frequency rank
- #24,719
- “flechten” frequency rank
- 54292
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fechten | flechten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit Klingen (Schwertern, Degen, Säbeln und so weiter) kämpfen | (meist) drei Stränge (zum Beispiel Haare oder Bänder) miteinander verschlingen |
Where the eye mixes fechten and flechten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fechten with flechten
A purely visual mix-up. fechten ([ˈfɛçtn̩]) and flechten ([ˈflɛçtn̩]) 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 54292, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fechten is recorded at frequency rank #29,573, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfɛçtn̩]. flechten is at rank #24,719, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈflɛçtn̩].
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 54292, this pair ranks #1,024,493 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fechten vs flechten
Shared letters: cefhnt. Private to "fechten": -. Private to "flechten": l.
"fechten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "flechten" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fechten" for "flechten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fechten" or "flechten"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "fechten" and "flechten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fechten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "flechten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,024,493 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fechten" and "flechten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fechten vs Fechter". 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 #1,024,493 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.