derjenigevsderjenigenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: derjenige is a pronoun, derjenigen is a determiner, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“derjenige” is a pronoun and “derjenigen” is a determiner - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,502
“derjenige” frequency rank
#12,689
“derjenigen” frequency rank
17191
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature derjenige derjenigen
Definition Nominativ Singular Maskulin des Demonstrativpronomens derjenige, es bezieht sich auf etwas, das in einem folgenden Relativsatz genauer bestimmt wird Genitiv Singular Feminin des Demonstrativpronomens derjenige.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
derjenige
10 ch
derjenigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: derjenige is [ˈdeːɐ̯ˌjeːnɪɡə] while derjenigen is [ˈdeːɐ̯ˌjeːnɪɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “derjenige” sits inside “derjenigen”, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs determiner), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17191, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

derjenige is recorded at frequency rank #4,502, classified as apron, pronounced [ˈdeːɐ̯ˌjeːnɪɡə]. 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 17191, this pair ranks #1,929,582 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of derjenige vs derjenigen

Shared letters: degijnr. Private to "derjenige": -. Private to "derjenigen": -.

"derjenige" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCV  ·  "derjenigen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • derjenigedderjenige · dejrenige · derejnige · derjeinge · derjengie · derjenieg · derjenigge · derjennige
  • derjenigendderjenigen · dejrenigen · derejnigen · derjeingen · derjengien · derjeniegn · derjenigenn · derjeniggen

Frequency comparison

derjenige#4,502
derjenigen#12,689

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "derjenige" and "derjenigen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "derjenige" is a pronoun and "derjenigen" a determiner, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "derjenige" or "derjenigen"?
"derjenige" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,502 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 derjenige vs derjenigen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “derjenige”; for a determiner, it's “derjenigen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “derjenige” 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