Which to use
“Flügen” is a noun and “folgen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,251
- “Flügen” frequency rank
- #566
- “folgen” frequency rank
- 20817
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Flügen | folgen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Flug | jemandem oder etwas hinterhergehen oder auch hinterherfahren |
Where the eye mixes Flügen and folgen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Flügen (CCVCVC) and folgen (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: Flügen vs folgen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Flügen is [ˈflyːɡn̩] while folgen is [ˈfɔlɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20817, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Flügen is recorded at frequency rank #20,251, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈflyːɡn̩]. folgen is at rank #566, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfɔlɡn̩].
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 20817, this pair ranks #1,893,402 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Flügen vs folgen
Shared letters: efgln. Private to "Flügen": ü. Private to "folgen": o.
"Flügen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "folgen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- folgen ← ffolgen · foglen · folegn · folgenn · folggen · folgne · follgen · oflgen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Flügen" for "folgen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Flügen" or "folgen" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Flügen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "folgen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,893,402 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Flügen" and "folgen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Flügen 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 #1,893,402 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.