empfindlichvsempfindlicherWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,640
“empfindlich” frequency rank
#37,488
“empfindlicher” frequency rank
48128
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature empfindlich empfindlicher
Definition körperlich leicht auf äußere Einflüsse reagierend Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs empfindlich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set empfindlich and empfindlicher apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
empfindlich
13 ch
empfindlicher

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. empfindlich ([ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪç]) and empfindlicher ([ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪçɐ]) 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) - “empfindlich” sits inside “empfindlicher”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48128, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

empfindlich is recorded at frequency rank #10,640, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪç]. empfindlicher is at rank #37,488, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪçɐ].

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 48128, this pair ranks #1,259,821 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of empfindlich vs empfindlicher

Shared letters: cdefhilmnp. Private to "empfindlich": -. Private to "empfindlicher": r.

"empfindlich" · 11 letters · shape VCCCVCCCVCC  ·  "empfindlicher" · 13 letters · shape VCCCVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • empfindlichemfpindlich · emmpfindlich · empffindlich · empfidnlich · empfinddlich · empfindilch · empfindlcih · empfindlicch
  • empfindlicheremfpindlicher · emmpfindlicher · empffindlicher · empfidnlicher · empfinddlicher · empfindilcher · empfindlciher · empfindliccher

Frequency comparison

empfindlich#10,640
empfindlicher#37,488

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "empfindlich" and "empfindlicher" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪç] versus [ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪçɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "empfindlich" or "empfindlicher"?
"empfindlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,640 in our German list, against #37,488 for "empfindlicher". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering empfindlich vs empfindlicher

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 “empfindlich” 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