flüsternvsflüstertTell them apart

Which to use

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

#24,721
“flüstern” frequency rank
#21,602
“flüstert” frequency rank
46323
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature flüstern flüstert
Definition mit gesenkter, leiser Stimme sprechen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs flüstern

Where the eye mixes flüstern and flüstert

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

8 ch
flüstern
8 ch
flüstert

Look-alike desk: flüstern vs flüstert

A purely visual mix-up. flüstern ([ˈflʏstɐn]) and flüstert ([ˈflʏstɐt]) 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 - n in “flüstern” becomes t in “flüstert”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46323, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

flüstern is recorded at frequency rank #24,721, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈflʏstɐn]. flüstert is at rank #21,602, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈflʏstɐt].

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 46323, this pair ranks #1,323,054 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of flüstern vs flüstert

Shared letters: eflrstü. Private to "flüstern": n. Private to "flüstert": -.

"flüstern" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC  ·  "flüstert" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "flüstern" for "flüstert" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈflʏstɐn] versus [ˈflʏstɐt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "flüstern" vs "flüstert" - which ranks higher?
"flüstert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,602 in our German list, against #24,721 for "flüstern". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "flüstern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "flüstert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,323,054 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "flüstern" and "flüstert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "flattert vs flüstert". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,323,054 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