Which to use
“erfolgreich” and “erfolgreichem” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,156
- “erfolgreich” frequency rank
- #42,463
- “erfolgreichem” frequency rank
- 43619
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfolgreich | erfolgreichem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | reich an Erfolgen | Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs erfolgreich |
Where the eye mixes erfolgreich and erfolgreichem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. erfolgreich runs 11 letters (VCCVCCCVVCC) against erfolgreichem's 13 (VCCVCCCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses erfolgreich with erfolgreichem
A purely visual mix-up. erfolgreich ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkʁaɪ̯ç]) and erfolgreichem ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkʁaɪ̯çm̩]) 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) - “erfolgreich” sits inside “erfolgreichem”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43619, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erfolgreich is recorded at frequency rank #1,156, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkʁaɪ̯ç]. erfolgreichem is at rank #42,463, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkʁaɪ̯çm̩].
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 43619, this pair ranks #1,412,347 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erfolgreich vs erfolgreichem
Shared letters: cefghilor. Private to "erfolgreich": -. Private to "erfolgreichem": m.
"erfolgreich" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVVCC · "erfolgreichem" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erfolgreich ← efrolgreich · erffolgreich · erflogreich · erfoglreich · erfolgerich · erfolggreich · erfolgrecih · erfolgreicch
- erfolgreichem ← efrolgreichem · erffolgreichem · erflogreichem · erfoglreichem · erfolgerichem · erfolggreichem · erfolgrecihem · erfolgreicchem
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erfolgreich" and "erfolgreichem" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "erfolgreich" or "erfolgreichem"?
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 "erfolgreich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erfolgreichem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,412,347 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erfolgreich" and "erfolgreichem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erfolgreichem vs erfolgreiches". 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 #1,412,347 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.