denjenigenvsderjenigenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,523
“denjenigen” frequency rank
#12,689
“derjenigen” frequency rank
22212
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature denjenigen derjenigen
Definition Akkusativ Singular Maskulin des Demonstrativpronomens derjenige Genitiv Singular Feminin des Demonstrativpronomens derjenige.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set denjenigen and derjenigen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
denjenigen
10 ch
derjenigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. denjenigen ([ˈdeːnˌjeːnɪɡn̩]) and derjenigen ([ˈdeːɐ̯ˌjeːnɪɡn̩]) 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 - n in “denjenigen” becomes r in “derjenigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22212, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

denjenigen is recorded at frequency rank #9,523, classified as adet, pronounced [ˈdeːnˌjeːnɪɡn̩]. derjenigen is at rank #12,689, tagged as adet, pronounced [ˈdeːɐ̯ˌjeːnɪɡn̩].

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 22212, this pair ranks #1,876,930 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of denjenigen vs derjenigen

Shared letters: degijn. Private to "denjenigen": -. Private to "derjenigen": r.

"denjenigen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC  ·  "derjenigen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • denjenigenddenjenigen · dejnenigen · denejnigen · denjeingen · denjengien · denjeniegn · denjenigenn · denjeniggen
  • derjenigendderjenigen · dejrenigen · derejnigen · derjeingen · derjengien · derjeniegn · derjenigenn · derjeniggen

Frequency comparison

denjenigen#9,523
derjenigen#12,689

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "denjenigen" and "derjenigen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdeːnˌjeːnɪɡn̩] versus [ˈdeːɐ̯ˌjeːnɪɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "denjenigen" or "derjenigen"?
"denjenigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,523 in our German list, against #12,689 for "derjenigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering denjenigen vs derjenigen

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 “denjenigen” 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