Which to use
“flüchten” and “fürchten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,193
- “flüchten” frequency rank
- #5,172
- “fürchten” frequency rank
- 14365
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | flüchten | fürchten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | meist schnell und wenig vorbereitet, vor einer drohenden Gefahr oder aus einer unangenehmen Situation fliehen | etwas fürchten: vor etwas Angst (Furcht) haben |
Where the eye mixes flüchten and fürchten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. flüchten (CCVCCCVC) and fürchten (CVCCCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: flüchten vs fürchten
A purely visual mix-up. flüchten ([ˈflʏçtn̩]) and fürchten ([ˈfʏʁçtn̩]) 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 14365, 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]. fürchten is at rank #5,172, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfʏʁçtn̩].
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 14365, this pair ranks #1,951,701 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of flüchten vs fürchten
Shared letters: cefhntü. Private to "flüchten": l. Private to "fürchten": r.
"flüchten" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCVC · "fürchten" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "flüchten" and "fürchten" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "flüchten" vs "fürchten" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "flüchten" and "fürchten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "flüchten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fürchten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,951,701 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "flüchten" and "fürchten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "flüchten vs Fluchtweg". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,951,701 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.