Which to use
“flattern” and “flüstern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,044
- “flattern” frequency rank
- #24,721
- “flüstern” frequency rank
- 55765
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | flattern | flüstern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich schnell hin und her (beziehungsweise auf und ab) bewegen | mit gesenkter, leiser Stimme sprechen |
Where the eye mixes flattern and flüstern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between flattern and flüstern
A purely visual mix-up. flattern ([ˈflatɐn]) and flüstern ([ˈflʏstɐn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55765, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
flattern is recorded at frequency rank #31,044, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈflatɐn]. flüstern is at rank #24,721, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈflʏstɐn].
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 55765, this pair ranks #966,647 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of flattern vs flüstern
Shared letters: eflnrt. Private to "flattern": a. Private to "flüstern": sü.
"flattern" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC · "flüstern" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- flattern ← falttern · fflattern · flatern · flatetrn · flattenr · flatternn · flatterrn · flattren
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "flattern" for "flüstern" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "flattern" or "flüstern" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "flattern" and "flüstern" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "flattern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "flüstern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #966,647 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "flattern" and "flüstern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "flattern vs flattert". 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 #966,647 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.