flexibelvsflexibleWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,655
“flexibel” frequency rank
#16,422
“flexible” frequency rank
27077
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature flexibel flexible
Definition die Eigenschaft besitzend, sich leicht mechanisch verändern zu lassen Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs flexibel

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set flexibel and flexible apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
flexibel
8 ch
flexible

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

flexibel and flexible form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ only by swapping two adjacent letters (el ↔ le) - a transposition the eye reads straight past - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27077, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

flexibel is recorded at frequency rank #10,655, classified as anadj, pronounced [flɛˈksiːbl̩]. flexible is at rank #16,422, tagged as anadj, pronounced [flɛˈksiːblə].

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 27077, this pair ranks #1,807,721 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

flexibel#10,655
flexible#16,422

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "flexibel" and "flexible" be used interchangeably?
No, "flexibel" and "flexible" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering flexibel vs flexible

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 “flexibel” 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