fegenvsfliegenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#33,040
“fegen” frequency rank
#1,845
“fliegen” frequency rank
34885
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fegen fliegen
Definition mit einem Besen entfernen sich ohne Bodenkontakt in der Luft, im freien Raum fortbewegen (mithilfe von Flügeln, eines Antriebs, eines Flugzeugs oder Ähnlichem)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fegen and fliegen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
fegen
7 ch
fliegen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fegen ([ˈfeːɡn̩]) and fliegen ([ˈfliːɡn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34885, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fegen is recorded at frequency rank #33,040, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfeːɡn̩]. fliegen is at rank #1,845, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfliːɡn̩].

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 34885, this pair ranks #1,653,053 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fegen vs fliegen

Shared letters: efgn. Private to "fegen": -. Private to "fliegen": il.

"fegen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "fliegen" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fegenefgen · feegn · fegenn · feggen · fegne · ffegen · fgeen
  • fliegenffliegen · filegen · fleigen · flieegn · fliegenn · flieggen · fliegne · fligeen

Frequency comparison

fegen#33,040
fliegen#1,845

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fegen" and "fliegen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfeːɡn̩] versus [ˈfliːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fegen" or "fliegen"?
"fliegen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,845 in our German list, against #33,040 for "fegen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fegen vs fliegen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fegen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list