ähnlichervsähnlichesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,314
“ähnlicher” frequency rank
#4,243
“ähnliches” frequency rank
12557
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ähnlicher ähnliches
Definition Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs ähnlich Nominativ Singular Neutrum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs ähnlich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ähnlicher and ähnliches apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
ähnlicher
9 ch
ähnliches

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ähnlicher ([ˈɛːnlɪçɐ]) and ähnliches ([ˈɛːnlɪçəs]) 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 a single letter - r in “ähnlicher” becomes s in “ähnliches”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12557, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ähnlicher is recorded at frequency rank #8,314, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛːnlɪçɐ]. ähnliches is at rank #4,243, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛːnlɪçəs].

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 12557, this pair ranks #1,963,452 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ähnlicher vs ähnliches

Shared letters: cehilnä. Private to "ähnlicher": r. Private to "ähnliches": s.

"ähnlicher" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "ähnliches" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

ähnlicher#8,314
ähnliches#4,243

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ähnlicher" and "ähnliches" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɛːnlɪçɐ] versus [ˈɛːnlɪçəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ähnlicher" or "ähnliches"?
"ähnliches" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,243 in our German list, against #8,314 for "ähnlicher". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ähnlicher vs ähnliches

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 “ähnlicher” 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