FlüchtlingvsFlüchtlingsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,794
“Flüchtling” frequency rank
#23,130
“Flüchtlings” frequency rank
29924
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Flüchtling Flüchtlings
Definition Person, die aus ethnischen, politischen, religiösen oder wirtschaftlichen Gründen aus ihrer Heimat flieht, flüchtet beziehungsweise geflohen, geflüchtet ist und dabei ihren gesamten Besitz oder den Großteil dessen zurücklassen musste Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Flüchtling

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Flüchtling and Flüchtlings apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
Flüchtling
11 ch
Flüchtlings

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Flüchtling ([ˈflʏçtlɪŋ]) and Flüchtlings ([ˈflʏçtlɪŋs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Flüchtling” sits inside “Flüchtlings”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29924, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Flüchtling is recorded at frequency rank #6,794, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈflʏçtlɪŋ]. Flüchtlings is at rank #23,130, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈflʏçtlɪŋs].

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 29924, this pair ranks #1,757,699 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Flüchtling vs Flüchtlings

Shared letters: cfghilntü. Private to "Flüchtling": -. Private to "Flüchtlings": s.

"Flüchtling" · 10 letters · shape CCVCCCCVCC  ·  "Flüchtlings" · 11 letters · shape CCVCCCCVCCC

Frequency comparison

Flüchtling#6,794
Flüchtlings#23,130

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Flüchtling" and "Flüchtlings" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈflʏçtlɪŋ] versus [ˈflʏçtlɪŋs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Flüchtling" or "Flüchtlings"?
"Flüchtling" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,794 in our German list, against #23,130 for "Flüchtlings". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Flüchtling vs Flüchtlings

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 “Flüchtling” 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