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 eye mixes empfindlich and empfindlicher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. empfindlich runs 11 letters (VCCCVCCCVCC) against empfindlicher's 13 (VCCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses empfindlich with empfindlicher
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
- empfindlich ← emfpindlich · emmpfindlich · empffindlich · empfidnlich · empfinddlich · empfindilch · empfindlcih · empfindlicch
- empfindlicher ← emfpindlicher · emmpfindlicher · empffindlicher · empfidnlicher · empfinddlicher · empfindilcher · empfindlciher · empfindliccher
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "empfindlich" and "empfindlicher" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "empfindlich" or "empfindlicher" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "empfindlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "empfindlicher" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,259,821 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empfindlich" and "empfindlicher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empfindlichen vs empfindlicher". 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 #1,259,821 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.