flüchtigevsFlüchtlingeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: flüchtige is a adjective, Flüchtlinge is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“flüchtige” is an adjective and “Flüchtlinge” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#23,129
“flüchtige” frequency rank
#1,076
“Flüchtlinge” frequency rank
24205
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature flüchtige Flüchtlinge
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs flüchtig Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Flüchtling

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set flüchtige and Flüchtlinge apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
flüchtige
11 ch
Flüchtlinge

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: flüchtige is [ˈflʏçtɪɡə] while Flüchtlinge is [ˈflʏçtlɪŋə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24205, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

flüchtige is recorded at frequency rank #23,129, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈflʏçtɪɡə]. Flüchtlinge is at rank #1,076, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈflʏçtlɪŋə].

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 24205, this pair ranks #1,850,929 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of flüchtige vs Flüchtlinge

Shared letters: cefghiltü. Private to "flüchtige": -. Private to "Flüchtlinge": n.

"flüchtige" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCCVCV  ·  "Flüchtlinge" · 11 letters · shape CCVCCCCVCCV

Frequency comparison

flüchtige#23,129
Flüchtlinge#1,076

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "flüchtige" and "Flüchtlinge" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "flüchtige" is an adjective and "Flüchtlinge" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "flüchtige" or "Flüchtlinge"?
"Flüchtlinge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,076 in our German list, against #23,129 for "flüchtige". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering flüchtige vs Flüchtlinge

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “flüchtige”; for a noun, it's “Flüchtlinge”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “flüchtige” 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