adligenvsAlgenTell them apart

Quick tell: adligen is a adjective, Algen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“adligen” is an adjective and “Algen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#23,819
“adligen” frequency rank
#18,793
“Algen” frequency rank
42612
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature adligen Algen
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs adlig Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Alge

Where the eye mixes adligen and Algen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. adligen runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against Algen's 5 (VCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
adligen
5 ch
Algen

Visual trap between adligen and Algen

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: adligen is [ˈaːdlɪɡn̩] while Algen is [ˈalɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42612, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

adligen is recorded at frequency rank #23,819, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈaːdlɪɡn̩]. Algen is at rank #18,793, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈalɡn̩].

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 42612, this pair ranks #1,443,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of adligen vs Algen

Shared letters: aegln. Private to "adligen": di. Private to "Algen": -.

"adligen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "Algen" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • adligen ← addligen · adilgen · adlgien · adliegn · adligenn · adliggen · adligne · adlligen
  • Algen ← aglen · alegn · algenn · alggen · algne · allgen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "adligen" and "Algen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "adligen" is an adjective and "Algen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "adligen" or "Algen"?
"Algen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,793 in our German list, against #23,819 for "adligen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "adligen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Algen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,443,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "adligen" and "Algen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Algen vs Alleen". 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 #1,443,977 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