Which to use
“eigentlichen” and “eigentlicher” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,807
- “eigentlichen” frequency rank
- #34,605
- “eigentlicher” frequency rank
- 38412
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eigentlichen | eigentlicher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs eigentlich | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs eigentlich |
Where the eye mixes eigentlichen and eigentlicher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses eigentlichen with eigentlicher
A purely visual mix-up. eigentlichen ([ˈaɪ̯ɡəntlɪçn̩]) and eigentlicher ([ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩tlɪçɐ]) 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 “eigentlichen” becomes r in “eigentlicher”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38412, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
eigentlichen is recorded at frequency rank #3,807, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯ɡəntlɪçn̩]. eigentlicher is at rank #34,605, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩tlɪçɐ].
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 38412, this pair ranks #1,564,672 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of eigentlichen vs eigentlicher
Shared letters: ceghilnt. Private to "eigentlichen": -. Private to "eigentlicher": r.
"eigentlichen" · 12 letters · shape VVCVCCCVCCVC · "eigentlicher" · 12 letters · shape VVCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- eigentlichen ← egientlichen · eiegntlichen · eigenltichen · eigenntlichen · eigentilchen · eigentlcihen · eigentlicchen · eigentlicehn
- eigentlicher ← egientlicher · eiegntlicher · eigenlticher · eigenntlicher · eigentilcher · eigentlciher · eigentliccher · eigentlicehr
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "eigentlichen" and "eigentlicher" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "eigentlichen" vs "eigentlicher" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "eigentlichen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "eigentlicher" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,564,672 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eigentlichen" and "eigentlicher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eigentlicher vs eigentliches". 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 #1,564,672 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.