absichtlichvsabsichtlicheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,886
“absichtlich” frequency rank
#39,764
“absichtliche” frequency rank
46650
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature absichtlich absichtliche
Definition die Auswirkung seiner Handlung wollend Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs absichtlich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set absichtlich and absichtliche apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
absichtlich
12 ch
absichtliche

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. absichtlich ([ˈapˌz̥ɪçtlɪç]) and absichtliche ([ˈapˌz̥ɪçtlɪçə]) 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) - “absichtlich” sits inside “absichtliche”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46650, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

absichtlich is recorded at frequency rank #6,886, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈapˌz̥ɪçtlɪç]. absichtliche is at rank #39,764, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈapˌz̥ɪçtlɪçə].

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 46650, this pair ranks #1,311,842 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of absichtlich vs absichtliche

Shared letters: abchilst. Private to "absichtlich": -. Private to "absichtliche": e.

"absichtlich" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCCVCC  ·  "absichtliche" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • absichtlichabbsichtlich · abischtlich · abscihtlich · absicchtlich · absichhtlich · absichltich · absichtilch · absichtlcih
  • absichtlicheabbsichtliche · abischtliche · abscihtliche · absicchtliche · absichhtliche · absichltiche · absichtilche · absichtlcihe

Frequency comparison

absichtlich#6,886
absichtliche#39,764

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "absichtlich" and "absichtliche" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌz̥ɪçtlɪç] versus [ˈapˌz̥ɪçtlɪçə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "absichtlich" or "absichtliche"?
"absichtlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,886 in our German list, against #39,764 for "absichtliche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering absichtlich vs absichtliche

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “absichtlich” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list