Which to use
“erfolgreich” and “erfolgreichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,156
- “erfolgreich” frequency rank
- #3,812
- “erfolgreichen” frequency rank
- 4968
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfolgreich | erfolgreichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | reich an Erfolgen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs erfolgreich |
Where the eye mixes erfolgreich and erfolgreichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. erfolgreich runs 11 letters (VCCVCCCVVCC) against erfolgreichen's 13 (VCCVCCCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erfolgreich vs erfolgreichen
A purely visual mix-up. erfolgreich ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkʁaɪ̯ç]) and erfolgreichen ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkʁaɪ̯çn̩]) 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 “erfolgreichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4968, 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]. erfolgreichen is at rank #3,812, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkʁaɪ̯çn̩].
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 4968, this pair ranks #1,996,166 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erfolgreich vs erfolgreichen
Shared letters: cefghilor. Private to "erfolgreich": -. Private to "erfolgreichen": n.
"erfolgreich" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVVCC · "erfolgreichen" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erfolgreich ← efrolgreich · erffolgreich · erflogreich · erfoglreich · erfolgerich · erfolggreich · erfolgrecih · erfolgreicch
- erfolgreichen ← efrolgreichen · erffolgreichen · erflogreichen · erfoglreichen · erfolgerichen · erfolggreichen · erfolgrecihen · erfolgreicchen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erfolgreich" and "erfolgreichen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "erfolgreich" vs "erfolgreichen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "erfolgreichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,996,166 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erfolgreich" and "erfolgreichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erfolgreichem vs erfolgreichen". 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 #1,996,166 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.