fahrlässigvsfahrlässigerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,538
“fahrlässig” frequency rank
#41,156
“fahrlässiger” frequency rank
59694
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fahrlässig fahrlässiger
Definition sorglos, unbedacht Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs fahrlässig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fahrlässig and fahrlässiger apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
fahrlässig
12 ch
fahrlässiger

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fahrlässig ([ˈfaːɐ̯lɛsɪç]) and fahrlässiger ([ˈfaːɐ̯lɛsɪɡɐ]) 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) - “fahrlässig” sits inside “fahrlässiger”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59694, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fahrlässig is recorded at frequency rank #18,538, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfaːɐ̯lɛsɪç]. fahrlässiger is at rank #41,156, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfaːɐ̯lɛsɪɡɐ].

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 59694, this pair ranks #814,894 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of fahrlässig vs fahrlässiger

Shared letters: afghilrsä. Private to "fahrlässig": -. Private to "fahrlässiger": e.

"fahrlässig" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "fahrlässiger" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

fahrlässig#18,538
fahrlässiger#41,156

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fahrlässig" and "fahrlässiger" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfaːɐ̯lɛsɪç] versus [ˈfaːɐ̯lɛsɪɡɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fahrlässig" or "fahrlässiger"?
"fahrlässig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,538 in our German list, against #41,156 for "fahrlässiger". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fahrlässig vs fahrlässiger

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 “fahrlässig” 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