fliehenvsfluchenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,060
“fliehen” frequency rank
#23,935
“fluchen” frequency rank
29995
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fliehen fluchen
Definition schnelles Verlassen eines Ortes beispielsweise aufgrund befürchteter Gefahr Flüche/Verwünschungen ausstoßen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
fliehen
7 ch
fluchen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fliehen ([ˈfliːən]) and fluchen ([ˈfluːxn̩]) 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 29995, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fliehen is recorded at frequency rank #6,060, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfliːən]. fluchen is at rank #23,935, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfluːxn̩].

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 29995, this pair ranks #1,756,369 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fliehen vs fluchen

Shared letters: efhln. Private to "fliehen": i. Private to "fluchen": cu.

"fliehen" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC  ·  "fluchen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fliehenffliehen · filehen · fleihen · flieehn · fliehenn · fliehhen · fliehne · fliheen
  • fluchenffluchen · flcuhen · flluchen · flucchen · flucehn · fluchenn · fluchhen · fluchne

Frequency comparison

fliehen#6,060
fluchen#23,935

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fliehen" and "fluchen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfliːən] versus [ˈfluːxn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fliehen" or "fluchen"?
"fliehen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,060 in our German list, against #23,935 for "fluchen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fliehen vs fluchen

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 “fliehen” 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