What is the difference between flew, flu, and flue?

Flew is the past tense of fly : the bird flew away. The flu is an illness, short for influenza. A flue is the pipe that carries smoke out of a chimney.

Do you say I have flu or I have the flu?

In US English we normally say the flu : She has the flu. British English often drops the . Both mean the same illness.

How do I remember flew, flu, and flue?

Flew is the past of fly , just as grew is the past of grow . The flu is short, like the word influenza cut in half. A flue has an e at the end, like the pip e it is.

Level: B1

Flew vs Flu vs Flue

Flew (the past of fly), flu (the illness), and flue (a chimney pipe) all sound the same. Remember: flew is past, like grew and knew. Practice with the sentences below.

🔍 Confused words · pair 17 of 54 ⏱ about 5 minutes 🔊 every sentence has audio

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🔊 Listen: click the speaker icon to hear the whole line read aloud.
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☑️ Select & practice: tick the checkboxes to choose items, then print them, make a worksheet or flashcards, or start a quiz.
For Matching Game quizzes, choose sentences that include more than one of the words below. If you pick sentences with only one word, the quiz will automatically add a sentence using another word.

Flew – the past tense of fly.
The bird ______ away. – flew
We ______ to Chicago last summer. – flew
The plane ______ above the clouds. – flew
She ______ home for the holidays. – flew
My uncle ______ helicopters in the army. – flew
The paper airplane ______ across the room. – flew
A hawk ______ over the field. – flew
They ______ back to Mexico yesterday. – flew
The kite ______ high above the beach. – flew
Time ______ during the vacation. – flew
He ______ his drone near the lake. – flew
The geese ______ south in October. – flew
The team ______ home after the final game. – flew
Dust ______ everywhere when the truck passed. – flew
She ______ across the ocean alone. – flew
The eagle ______ toward the mountain. – flew
My hat ______ off in the wind. – flew
We ______ over the desert at night. – flew
Flu – an illness with fever and aches (influenza).
She has the ______ this week. – flu
The ______ kept him home from school. – flu
Half the class caught the ______. – flu
I got a ______ shot in October. – flu
The ______ spreads quickly in winter. – flu
He missed the concert because of the ______. – flu
My whole family had the ______ last month. – flu
Hot tea helps with the ______. – flu
The doctor said it was just the ______. – flu
A bad ______ can last two weeks. – flu
She stayed in bed with the ______. – flu
The ______ season starts in the fall. – flu
Wash your hands to avoid the ______. – flu
He felt weak after the ______. – flu
Flue – the pipe that carries smoke out of a chimney.
The chimney ______ is blocked. – flue
Open the ______ before you light a fire. – flue
Smoke goes up the ______. – flue
A dirty ______ can be dangerous. – flue
The workers cleaned the ______ last week. – flue
Close the ______ when the fire is out. – flue
Birds built a nest inside the ______. – flue
The old ______ needs to be inspected. – flue
A metal ______ carries the smoke outside. – flue
Heat escapes through the open ______. – flue

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between flew, flu, and flue?: Flew is the past tense of fly: the bird flew away. The flu is an illness, short for influenza. A flue is the pipe that carries smoke out of a chimney.
Do you say I have flu or I have the flu?: In US English we normally say the flu: She has the flu. British English often drops the. Both mean the same illness.
How do I remember flew, flu, and flue?: Flew is the past of fly, just as grew is the past of grow. The flu is short, like the word influenza cut in half. A flue has an e at the end, like the pipe it is.