Which to use
“Ehrgeiz” is a noun and “ehrgeizig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,484
- “Ehrgeiz” frequency rank
- #25,970
- “ehrgeizig” frequency rank
- 38454
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ehrgeiz | ehrgeizig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | starkes Streben nach Erfolg | starker Wunsch, sich vor anderen auszuzeichnen, Streben nach Ehren |
Where the eye mixes Ehrgeiz and ehrgeizig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Ehrgeiz runs 7 letters (VCCCVVC) against ehrgeizig's 9 (VCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Ehrgeiz with ehrgeizig
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Ehrgeiz is [ˈeːɐ̯ˌɡaɪ̯t͡s] while ehrgeizig is [ˈeːɐ̯ˌɡaɪ̯t͡sɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Ehrgeiz” sits inside “ehrgeizig”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38454, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ehrgeiz is recorded at frequency rank #12,484, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯ˌɡaɪ̯t͡s]. ehrgeizig is at rank #25,970, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯ˌɡaɪ̯t͡sɪç].
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 38454, this pair ranks #1,563,559 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ehrgeiz vs ehrgeizig
Shared letters: eghirz. Private to "Ehrgeiz": -. Private to "ehrgeizig": -.
"Ehrgeiz" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVVC · "ehrgeizig" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Ehrgeiz" and "ehrgeizig" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Ehrgeiz" vs "ehrgeizig" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ehrgeiz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ehrgeizig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,563,559 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ehrgeiz" and "ehrgeizig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ehrgeizig vs ehrgeizigen". 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 #1,563,559 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.