fahrlässigevsfahrlässigenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#33,581
“fahrlässige” frequency rank
#49,649
“fahrlässigen” frequency rank
83230
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fahrlässige fahrlässigen
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs fahrlässig Genitiv Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs fahrlässig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fahrlässige and fahrlässigen apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
fahrlässige
12 ch
fahrlässigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fahrlässige ([ˈfaːɐ̯lɛsɪɡə]) and fahrlässigen ([ˈfaːɐ̯lɛsɪɡn̩]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “fahrlässige” sits inside “fahrlässigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83230, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fahrlässige is recorded at frequency rank #33,581, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfaːɐ̯lɛsɪɡə]. fahrlässigen is at rank #49,649, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfaːɐ̯lɛsɪɡn̩].

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 83230, this pair ranks #143,415 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of fahrlässige vs fahrlässigen

Shared letters: aefghilrsä. Private to "fahrlässige": -. Private to "fahrlässigen": n.

"fahrlässige" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCV  ·  "fahrlässigen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

fahrlässige#33,581
fahrlässigen#49,649

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fahrlässige" and "fahrlässigen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfaːɐ̯lɛsɪɡə] versus [ˈfaːɐ̯lɛsɪɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fahrlässige" or "fahrlässigen"?
"fahrlässige" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,581 in our German list, against #49,649 for "fahrlässigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fahrlässige vs fahrlässigen

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 “fahrlässige” 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