FlüssenvsfressenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Flüssen is a noun, fressen is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Flüssen” is a noun and “fressen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#18,244
“Flüssen” frequency rank
#5,482
“fressen” frequency rank
23726
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Flüssen fressen
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Fluss feste Nahrung einnehmen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Flüssen and fressen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Flüssen
7 ch
fressen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Flüssen is [ˈflʏsn̩] while fressen is [ˈfʁɛsn̩]. 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 23726, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Flüssen is recorded at frequency rank #18,244, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈflʏsn̩]. fressen is at rank #5,482, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfʁɛsn̩].

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 23726, this pair ranks #1,857,412 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Flüssen vs fressen

Shared letters: efns. Private to "Flüssen": . Private to "fressen": r.

"Flüssen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "fressen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fressenferssen · ffressen · fresen · fresesn · fressenn · fressne · freßen · frressen

Frequency comparison

Flüssen#18,244
fressen#5,482

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Flüssen" and "fressen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Flüssen" is a noun and "fressen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Flüssen" or "fressen"?
"fressen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,482 in our German list, against #18,244 for "Flüssen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Flüssen vs fressen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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