Which to use
“Pflege” and “Pfleger” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,676
- “Pflege” frequency rank
- #12,985
- “Pfleger” frequency rank
- 15661
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pflege | Pfleger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Fürsorge, Betreuung und Versorgung von Menschen oder Tieren, die gewisse Hilfe benötigen | Person, die jemanden pflegt |
Where the eye mixes Pflege and Pfleger
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Pflege runs 6 letters (CCCVCV) against Pfleger's 7 (CCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Pflege with Pfleger
A purely visual mix-up. Pflege ([ˈp͡fleːɡə]) and Pfleger ([ˈp͡fleːɡɐ]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “Pflege” sits inside “Pfleger”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15661, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pflege is recorded at frequency rank #2,676, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈp͡fleːɡə]. Pfleger is at rank #12,985, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈp͡fleːɡɐ].
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 15661, this pair ranks #1,942,113 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Pflege vs Pfleger
Shared letters: efglp. Private to "Pflege": -. Private to "Pfleger": r.
"Pflege" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV · "Pfleger" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Pflege" for "Pfleger" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Pflege" or "Pfleger"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Pflege" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Pfleger" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,942,113 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pflege" and "Pfleger" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Pfleger vs pflügen". 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 #1,942,113 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.