Flier vs. Flyer: What’s the Difference?

Both flier and flyer are accepted spellings, but the right choice depends on where you live and what you mean.

Let’s look at how they differ in meaning, usage, and region.

1. Flier: The Older and More Traditional Spelling

Meaning

“Flier” has two main uses:

1. A person or thing that flies (literal meaning)
2. A handbill or leaflet (older American spelling)

Examples (10 total)

1. The pilot is an experienced flier.
2. Frequent fliers get special airline rewards.
3. He’s a nervous flier who hates turbulence.
4. The bird was a fast flier.
5. She’s a fearless flier when paragliding.
6. We printed a flier to promote the concert.
7. The event fliers were distributed downtown.
8. The magazine sent out colorful fliers for the sale.
9. Early newspapers often included fliers for ads.
10. He handed me a flier on the street.

🧠 Tip:
If you’re writing for traditional or formal American audiences (like newspapers or journals), flier is still acceptable.

2. Flyer: The Modern and More Common Spelling

Meaning

“Flyer” is now the dominant spelling in modern English — especially in marketing, business, and aviation contexts.
It can also mean:

• A pamphlet or leaflet (advertising sense)
• A person who flies (especially in British English)

Examples (10 total)

1. The airline offers discounts for frequent flyers.
2. She handed out flyers at the mall.
3. The flyer advertised a music festival.
4. I saw a flyer about yoga classes downtown.
5. The flyer included a QR code for registration.
6. British Airways rewards its top flyers.
7. Please design a flyer for our next campaign.
8. He’s a skilled flyer with thousands of flight hours.
9. They’re printing flyers for the product launch.
10. The marketing team finalized the flyer layout.

🧠 Tip:
In modern writing, flyer is preferred almost everywhere, especially in:

• Advertising (“a promotional flyer”)
• Aviation (“a frequent flyer program”)
• Digital media and business contexts

3. Regional Preferences

Examples from major brands:

• American Airlines → AAdvantage Frequent Flyer program
• United Airlines → MileagePlus Frequent Flyer program
• Most marketing agencies → Digital Flyer or Event Flyer

Quick Comparison Table

How to Remember the Difference

👉 Use flyer for almost everything today.
👉 Use flier only if you’re writing for older U.S. style guides (like AP Style).

💡 Memory Trick:

“Modern marketers prefer flyer — it flies better in print!”

In Marketing and Design

When designing or promoting, always use flyer:

• Event flyer
• Sale flyer
• Digital flyer template
• Flyer distribution campaign

That’s also why Humanizey automatically corrects and standardizes AI-generated text — ensuring your marketing copy uses the most natural, modern English (like flyer instead of flier).

FAQs

1. Is “flyer” wrong in formal writing?

No. Flyer is accepted in both formal and informal writing worldwide.

2. Do airlines still use “frequent flier”?

Not anymore. Nearly all airlines switched to “frequent flyer” for consistency.

3. What does AP Style recommend?

The Associated Press (AP) used to prefer flier for people and flyer for handbills, but in 2017, they standardized everything to flyer.

4. Which one should I use in marketing materials?

Always use flyer — it’s the modern, global standard.

Practice: Choose the Correct Word (“Flier” or “Flyer”)

(Answers are listed at the end.)

1. She designed a colorful event ___.
2. The pilot is an experienced ___.
3. They handed out promotional ___ downtown.
4. He’s a nervous ___ when flying.
5. We printed 500 ___ for the concert.
6. The ___ miles program offers great perks.
7. Can you send me the updated event ___?
8. The campaign’s ___ design looks amazing.
9. She’s a frequent ___ on Delta Airlines.
10. The bird is a fast ___ in the sky.

Answers

1. flyer
2. flyer / flier (both OK)
3. flyer
4. flier / flyer (both OK)
5. flyer
6. flyer
7. flyer
8. flyer
9. flyer
10. flier / flyer