FlugvsFlügelTell them apart

Which to use

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

#2,649
“Flug” frequency rank
#3,580
“Flügel” frequency rank
6229
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Flug Flügel
Definition Fortbewegung eines Körpers durch die Luft, hauptsächlich durch Ausnutzung der Gesetze der Aerodynamik ein Körperteil eines Tieres (wie Insekt, Vogel), der funktional zum Fliegen befähigen kann

Where the eye mixes Flug and Flügel

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Flug
6 ch
Flügel

Why the eye confuses Flug with Flügel

A purely visual mix-up. Flug ([fluːk]) and Flügel ([ˈflyːɡl̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6229, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Flug is recorded at frequency rank #2,649, classified as anoun, pronounced [fluːk]. Flügel is at rank #3,580, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈflyːɡl̩].

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 6229, this pair ranks #1,992,306 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Flug vs Flügel

Shared letters: fgl. Private to "Flug": u. Private to "Flügel": .

"Flug" · 4 letters · shape CCVC  ·  "Flügel" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Flugfflug · flgu · fllug · flugg · fulg · lfug

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Flug" for "Flügel" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fluːk] versus [ˈflyːɡl̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Flug" or "Flügel" show up more?
"Flug" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,649 in our German list, against #3,580 for "Flügel". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Flug" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Flügel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,992,306 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Flug" and "Flügel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Flügel vs flügge". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,992,306 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list