flüchtetevsfürchteteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,243
“flüchtete” frequency rank
#20,260
“fürchtete” frequency rank
38503
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature flüchtete fürchtete
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs flüchten 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs fürchten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set flüchtete and fürchtete apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
flüchtete
9 ch
fürchtete

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. flüchtete ([ˈflʏçtətə]) and fürchtete ([ˈfʏʁçtətə]) 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 38503, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

flüchtete is recorded at frequency rank #18,243, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈflʏçtətə]. fürchtete is at rank #20,260, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfʏʁçtətə].

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 38503, this pair ranks #1,562,246 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of flüchtete vs fürchtete

Shared letters: cefhtü. Private to "flüchtete": l. Private to "fürchtete": r.

"flüchtete" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCCVCV  ·  "fürchtete" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCCVCV

Frequency comparison

flüchtete#18,243
fürchtete#20,260

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "flüchtete" and "fürchtete" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈflʏçtətə] versus [ˈfʏʁçtətə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "flüchtete" or "fürchtete"?
"flüchtete" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,243 in our German list, against #20,260 for "fürchtete". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering flüchtete vs fürchtete

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 “flüchtete” 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