FehlervsflerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Fehler is a noun, fler is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Fehler” is a noun and “fler” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#746
“Fehler” frequency rank
#32,036
“fler” frequency rank
32782
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Fehler fler
Definition Abweichung von einem optimalen Zustand, Verfahren oder dem Richtigen mehr, eine größere Anzahl (als)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Fehler and fler apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Fehler
4 ch
fler

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Fehler is [ˈfeːlɐ] while fler is [ˈfleːr]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32782, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Fehler is recorded at frequency rank #746, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfeːlɐ]. fler is at rank #32,036, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfleːr].

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 32782, this pair ranks #1,700,154 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Fehler vs fler

Shared letters: eflr. Private to "Fehler": h. Private to "fler": -.

"Fehler" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "fler" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Fehlerefhler · fehelr · fehhler · fehlerr · fehller · fehlre · felher · ffehler
  • flerfelr · ffler · flerr · fller · flre · lfer

Frequency comparison

Fehler#746
fler#32,036

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Fehler" and "fler" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Fehler" is a noun and "fler" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Fehler" or "fler"?
"Fehler" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #746 in our German list, against #32,036 for "fler". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Fehler vs fler

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Fehler”; for an adjective, it's “fler”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Fehler” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list