erforderlichvserforderlichenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,494
“erforderlich” frequency rank
#6,784
“erforderlichen” frequency rank
9278
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erforderlich erforderlichen
Definition jemand/etwas ist nötig, wird gebraucht Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs erforderlich

Where the spellings diverge

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

12 ch
erforderlich
14 ch
erforderlichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erforderlich ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔʁdɐlɪç]) and erforderlichen ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔʁdɐlɪçn̩]) 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) - “erforderlich” sits inside “erforderlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9278, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erforderlich is recorded at frequency rank #2,494, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔʁdɐlɪç]. erforderlichen is at rank #6,784, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔʁdɐlɪçn̩].

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 9278, this pair ranks #1,980,699 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erforderlich vs erforderlichen

Shared letters: cdefhilor. Private to "erforderlich": -. Private to "erforderlichen": n.

"erforderlich" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVCC  ·  "erforderlichen" · 14 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erforderlichefrorderlich · erfforderlich · erfodrerlich · erfordderlich · erfordelrich · erforderilch · erforderlcih · erforderlicch
  • erforderlichenefrorderlichen · erfforderlichen · erfodrerlichen · erfordderlichen · erfordelrichen · erforderilchen · erforderlcihen · erforderlicchen

Frequency comparison

erforderlich#2,494
erforderlichen#6,784

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erforderlich" and "erforderlichen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔʁdɐlɪç] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔʁdɐlɪçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erforderlich" or "erforderlichen"?
"erforderlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,494 in our German list, against #6,784 for "erforderlichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erforderlich vs erforderlichen

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 “erforderlich” 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