PflichtvsPflichtenTell them apart

Which to use

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

#2,316
“Pflicht” frequency rank
#6,337
“Pflichten” frequency rank
8653
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Pflicht Pflichten
Definition etwas, das getan werden muss, was von einem verlangt oder erwartet wird Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Pflicht

Where the eye mixes Pflicht and Pflichten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Pflicht runs 7 letters (CCCVCCC) against Pflichten's 9 (CCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Pflicht
9 ch
Pflichten

Why the eye confuses Pflicht with Pflichten

A purely visual mix-up. Pflicht ([p͡flɪçt]) and Pflichten ([ˈp͡flɪçtn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Pflicht” sits inside “Pflichten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8653, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Pflicht is recorded at frequency rank #2,316, classified as anoun, pronounced [p͡flɪçt]. Pflichten is at rank #6,337, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈp͡flɪçtn̩].

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 8653, this pair ranks #1,983,421 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Pflicht vs Pflichten

Shared letters: cfhilpt. Private to "Pflicht": -. Private to "Pflichten": en.

"Pflicht" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCC  ·  "Pflichten" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Pflicht ← fplicht · pfflicht · pfilcht · pflciht · pfliccht · pflichht · pflichtt · pflicth
  • Pflichten ← fplichten · pfflichten · pfilchten · pflcihten · pflicchten · pflichetn · pflichhten · pflichtenn

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Pflicht" and "Pflichten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([p͡flɪçt] versus [ˈp͡flɪçtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Pflicht" or "Pflichten"?
"Pflicht" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,316 in our German list, against #6,337 for "Pflichten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "Pflicht" and "Pflichten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Pflicht" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Pflichten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,983,421 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • 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 #1,983,421 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