Which to use
“flex” is a verb and “free” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,574
- “flex” frequency rank
- #3,313
- “free” frequency rank
- 22887
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | flex | free |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs flexen | ohne eine Bezahlung zu verlangen; nicht mit Kosten verbunden |
Where the eye mixes flex and free
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between flex and free
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: flex is [flɛks] while free is [fɹiː]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22887, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
flex is recorded at frequency rank #19,574, classified as averb, pronounced [flɛks]. free is at rank #3,313, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɹiː].
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 22887, this pair ranks #1,868,451 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of flex vs free
Shared letters: ef. Private to "flex": lx. Private to "free": r.
"flex" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "free" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "flex" for "free" ever safe?
Frequency check: "flex" vs "free" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "flex" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "free" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,868,451 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "flex" and "free" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Filet vs flex". 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 #1,868,451 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.