FlügelvsFlügenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#3,580
“Flügel” frequency rank
#20,251
“Flügen” frequency rank
23831
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Flügel Flügen
Definition ein Körperteil eines Tieres (wie Insekt, Vogel), der funktional zum Fliegen befähigen kann Dativ Plural des Substantivs Flug

Where the eye mixes Flügel and Flügen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Flügel and Flügen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

6 ch
Flügel
6 ch
Flügen

Look-alike desk: Flügel vs Flügen

A purely visual mix-up. Flügel ([ˈflyːɡl̩]) and Flügen ([ˈflyːɡn̩]) 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 a single letter - l in “Flügel” becomes n in “Flügen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23831, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Flügel is recorded at frequency rank #3,580, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈflyːɡl̩]. Flügen is at rank #20,251, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈflyːɡn̩].

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 23831, this pair ranks #1,856,057 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Flügel vs Flügen

Shared letters: efglü. Private to "Flügel": -. Private to "Flügen": n.

"Flügel" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "Flügen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Flügel" and "Flügen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈflyːɡl̩] versus [ˈflyːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Flügel" or "Flügen" show up more?
"Flügel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,580 in our German list, against #20,251 for "Flügen". 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 "Flügel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Flügen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,856,057 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Flügel" and "Flügen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Flügen vs flügge". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,856,057 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