fechtenvsflüchtenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#29,573
“fechten” frequency rank
#9,193
“flüchten” frequency rank
38766
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fechten flüchten
Definition mit Klingen (Schwertern, Degen, Säbeln und so weiter) kämpfen meist schnell und wenig vorbereitet, vor einer drohenden Gefahr oder aus einer unangenehmen Situation fliehen

Where the eye mixes fechten and flüchten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

7 ch
fechten
8 ch
flüchten

Look-alike desk: fechten vs flüchten

A purely visual mix-up. fechten ([ˈfɛçtn̩]) and flüchten ([ˈflʏçtn̩]) 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 38766, 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]. flüchten is at rank #9,193, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈflʏçtn̩].

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 38766, this pair ranks #1,555,164 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fechten vs flüchten

Shared letters: cefhnt. Private to "fechten": -. Private to "flüchten": .

"fechten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "flüchten" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fechtenefchten · fcehten · fecchten · fechetn · fechhten · fechtenn · fechtne · fechtten

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "fechten" and "flüchten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɛçtn̩] versus [ˈflʏçtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "fechten" vs "flüchten" - which ranks higher?
"flüchten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,193 in our German list, against #29,573 for "fechten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "fechten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "flüchten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,555,164 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "fechten" and "flüchten" 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 #1,555,164 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