FleckvsFleckenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,916
“Fleck” frequency rank
#6,426
“Flecken” frequency rank
14342
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Fleck Flecken
Definition Stelle, die verschmutzt (und schlecht^([1])) ist sich zum Beispiel durch Verschmutzung oder Farbe von der Umgebung unterscheidende Stelle

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Fleck
7 ch
Flecken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Fleck ([flɛk]) and Flecken ([ˈflɛkn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Fleck” sits inside “Flecken”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14342, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Fleck is recorded at frequency rank #7,916, classified as anoun, pronounced [flɛk]. Flecken is at rank #6,426, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈflɛkn̩].

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 14342, this pair ranks #1,951,867 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Fleck vs Flecken

Shared letters: cefkl. Private to "Fleck": -. Private to "Flecken": n.

"Fleck" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "Flecken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Fleckfelck · ffleck · flcek · flecck · fleckk · flekc · flleck · lfeck
  • Fleckenfelcken · fflecken · flceken · fleccken · flecekn · fleckenn · fleckken · fleckne

Frequency comparison

Fleck#7,916
Flecken#6,426

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Fleck" and "Flecken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([flɛk] versus [ˈflɛkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Fleck" or "Flecken"?
"Flecken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,426 in our German list, against #7,916 for "Fleck". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Fleck vs Flecken

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 “Fleck” 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