billigvsbilligenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: billig is a adjective, billigen is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“billig” is an adjective and “billigen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,251
“billig” frequency rank
#9,338
“billigen” frequency rank
13589
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature billig billigen
Definition angemessen (recht und billig) etwas befürworten, begrüßen, gutheißen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set billig and billigen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
billig
8 ch
billigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: billig is [ˈbɪlɪç] while billigen is [ˈbɪlɪɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “billig” sits inside “billigen”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13589, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

billig is recorded at frequency rank #4,251, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈbɪlɪç]. billigen is at rank #9,338, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈbɪlɪɡn̩].

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 13589, this pair ranks #1,957,006 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of billig vs billigen

Shared letters: bgil. Private to "billig": -. Private to "billigen": en.

"billig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "billigen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • billigbbillig · bilig · bililg · billgi · billigg · blilig · ibllig
  • billigenbbilligen · biligen · bililgen · billgien · billiegn · billigenn · billiggen · billigne

Frequency comparison

billig#4,251
billigen#9,338

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "billig" and "billigen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "billig" is an adjective and "billigen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "billig" or "billigen"?
"billig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,251 in our German list, against #9,338 for "billigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering billig vs billigen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “billig”; for a verb, it's “billigen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “billig” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list