ewigvsewigesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,496
“ewig” frequency rank
#24,709
“ewiges” frequency rank
27205
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ewig ewiges
Definition endlos, zeitlich unbegrenzt Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs ewig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ewig and ewiges apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
ewig
6 ch
ewiges

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ewig ([ˈeːvɪç]) and ewiges ([ˈeːvɪɡəs]) 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) - “ewig” sits inside “ewiges”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27205, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ewig is recorded at frequency rank #2,496, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːvɪç]. ewiges is at rank #24,709, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːvɪɡəs].

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 27205, this pair ranks #1,805,581 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ewig vs ewiges

Shared letters: egiw. Private to "ewig": -. Private to "ewiges": s.

"ewig" · 4 letters · shape VCVC  ·  "ewiges" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ewigeiwg · ewgi · ewigg · ewwig · weig
  • ewigeseiwges · ewgies · ewiegs · ewigess · ewigges · ewigse · ewwiges · weiges

Frequency comparison

ewig#2,496
ewiges#24,709

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ewig" and "ewiges" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈeːvɪç] versus [ˈeːvɪɡəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ewig" or "ewiges"?
"ewig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,496 in our German list, against #24,709 for "ewiges". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ewig vs ewiges

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 “ewig” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list