christlichvschristlichenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#8,847
“christlich” frequency rank
#4,029
“christlichen” frequency rank
12876
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature christlich christlichen
Definition vom Christentum geprägt Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs christlich

Where the eye mixes christlich and christlichen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. christlich runs 10 letters (CCCVCCCVCC) against christlichen's 12 (CCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
christlich
12 ch
christlichen

Look-alike desk: christlich vs christlichen

A purely visual mix-up. christlich ([ˈkʁɪstlɪç]) and christlichen ([ˈkʁɪstlɪçn̩]) 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) - “christlich” sits inside “christlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12876, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

christlich is recorded at frequency rank #8,847, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈkʁɪstlɪç]. christlichen is at rank #4,029, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkʁɪstlɪçn̩].

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 12876, this pair ranks #1,961,480 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of christlich vs christlichen

Shared letters: chilrst. Private to "christlich": -. Private to "christlichen": en.

"christlich" · 10 letters · shape CCCVCCCVCC  ·  "christlichen" · 12 letters · shape CCCVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • christlich ← cchristlich · chhristlich · chirstlich · chrisltich · chrisstlich · christilch · christlcih · christlicch
  • christlichen ← cchristlichen · chhristlichen · chirstlichen · chrisltichen · chrisstlichen · christilchen · christlcihen · christlicchen

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "christlich" and "christlichen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkʁɪstlɪç] versus [ˈkʁɪstlɪçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "christlich" vs "christlichen" - which ranks higher?
"christlichen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,029 in our German list, against #8,847 for "christlich". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "christlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "christlichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,961,480 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "christlich" and "christlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "christlich vs christliches". 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 #1,961,480 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