Which to use
“flüchten” is a verb and “flüchtig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,193
- “flüchten” frequency rank
- #21,600
- “flüchtig” frequency rank
- 30793
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | flüchten | flüchtig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | meist schnell und wenig vorbereitet, vor einer drohenden Gefahr oder aus einer unangenehmen Situation fliehen | auf der Flucht |
Where the eye mixes flüchten and flüchtig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. flüchten and flüchtig follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses flüchten with flüchtig
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: flüchten is [ˈflʏçtn̩] while flüchtig is [ˈflʏçtɪç]. 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 30793, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
flüchten is recorded at frequency rank #9,193, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈflʏçtn̩]. flüchtig is at rank #21,600, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈflʏçtɪç].
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 30793, this pair ranks #1,740,966 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of flüchten vs flüchtig
Shared letters: cfhltü. Private to "flüchten": en. Private to "flüchtig": gi.
"flüchten" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCVC · "flüchtig" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "flüchten" for "flüchtig" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "flüchten" or "flüchtig" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "flüchten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "flüchtig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,740,966 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "flüchten" and "flüchtig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "flüchtig vs flüchtiger". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,740,966 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.