Which to use
“flehen” and “fliegen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,536
- “flehen” frequency rank
- #1,845
- “fliegen” frequency rank
- 42381
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | flehen | fliegen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | emotional, stark untersetzt, bei jemandem um etwas bitten | 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 flehen and fliegen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. flehen ([ˈfleːən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42381, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
flehen is recorded at frequency rank #40,536, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfleːən]. 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 42381, this pair ranks #1,451,150 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of flehen vs fliegen
Shared letters: efln. Private to "flehen": h. Private to "fliegen": gi.
"flehen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "fliegen" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "flehen" and "fliegen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "flehen" or "fliegen"?
Remembering flehen 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 “flehen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable