Which to use
“ähnlich” and “ähnlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,049
- “ähnlich” frequency rank
- #3,788
- “ähnlichen” frequency rank
- 4837
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ähnlich | ähnlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in manchem übereinstimmend, teilweise analog | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs ähnlich |
Where the eye mixes ähnlich and ähnlichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between ähnlich and ähnlichen
A purely visual mix-up. ähnlich ([ˈɛːnlɪç]) and ähnlichen ([ˈɛːnlɪçn̩]) 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) - “ähnlich” sits inside “ähnlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4837, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ähnlich is recorded at frequency rank #1,049, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛːnlɪç]. ähnlichen is at rank #3,788, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛːnlɪçn̩].
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 4837, this pair ranks #1,996,526 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ähnlich vs ähnlichen
Shared letters: chilnä. Private to "ähnlich": -. Private to "ähnlichen": e.
"ähnlich" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC · "ähnlichen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ähnlich" and "ähnlichen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "ähnlich" vs "ähnlichen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "ähnlich" and "ähnlichen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ähnlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ähnlichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,996,526 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ähnlich" and "ähnlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ähnlichen vs ärmlichen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,996,526 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.