empfindlichevsempfindlichenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,588
“empfindliche” frequency rank
#24,320
“empfindlichen” frequency rank
45908
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature empfindliche empfindlichen
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs empfindlich Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs empfindlich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set empfindliche and empfindlichen apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
empfindliche
13 ch
empfindlichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. empfindliche ([ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪçə]) and empfindlichen ([ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪçn̩]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “empfindliche” sits inside “empfindlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45908, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

empfindliche is recorded at frequency rank #21,588, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪçə]. empfindlichen is at rank #24,320, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪçn̩].

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 45908, this pair ranks #1,337,072 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of empfindliche vs empfindlichen

Shared letters: cdefhilmnp. Private to "empfindliche": -. Private to "empfindlichen": -.

"empfindliche" · 12 letters · shape VCCCVCCCVCCV  ·  "empfindlichen" · 13 letters · shape VCCCVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • empfindlicheemfpindliche · emmpfindliche · empffindliche · empfidnliche · empfinddliche · empfindilche · empfindlcihe · empfindlicche
  • empfindlichenemfpindlichen · emmpfindlichen · empffindlichen · empfidnlichen · empfinddlichen · empfindilchen · empfindlcihen · empfindlicchen

Frequency comparison

empfindliche#21,588
empfindlichen#24,320

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "empfindliche" and "empfindlichen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪçə] versus [ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "empfindliche" or "empfindlichen"?
"empfindliche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,588 in our German list, against #24,320 for "empfindlichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering empfindliche vs empfindlichen

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 “empfindliche” 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