ängstlichvsängstlicheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,015
“ängstlich” frequency rank
#46,432
“ängstliche” frequency rank
61447
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ängstlich ängstliche
Definition von Angst ergriffen, erfüllt Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs ängstlich

Where the eye mixes ängstlich and ängstliche

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. ängstlich runs 9 letters (VCCCCCVCC) against ängstliche's 10 (VCCCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
ängstlich
10 ch
ängstliche

Why the eye confuses ängstlich with ängstliche

A purely visual mix-up. ängstlich ([ˈɛŋstlɪç]) and ängstliche ([ˈɛŋstlɪçə]) 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) - “ängstlich” sits inside “ängstliche”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61447, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ängstlich is recorded at frequency rank #15,015, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛŋstlɪç]. ängstliche is at rank #46,432, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛŋstlɪçə].

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 61447, this pair ranks #749,417 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ängstlich vs ängstliche

Shared letters: cghilnstä. Private to "ängstlich": -. Private to "ängstliche": e.

"ängstlich" · 9 letters · shape VCCCCCVCC  ·  "ängstliche" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "ängstlich" and "ängstliche" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɛŋstlɪç] versus [ˈɛŋstlɪçə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "ängstlich" vs "ängstliche" - which ranks higher?
"ängstlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,015 in our German list, against #46,432 for "ängstliche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "ängstlich" and "ängstliche" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "ängstlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "ängstliche" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #749,417 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ängstlich" and "ängstliche" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "angebliche vs ängstliche". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #749,417 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