fälligvsfälligenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,057
“fällig” frequency rank
#32,045
“fälligen” frequency rank
40102
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fällig fälligen
Definition innerhalb der Erfüllungsfrist befindlich Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs fällig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fällig and fälligen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
fällig
8 ch
fälligen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fällig ([ˈfɛlɪç]) and fälligen ([ˈfɛlɪɡn̩]) 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) - “fällig” sits inside “fälligen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40102, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fällig is recorded at frequency rank #8,057, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfɛlɪç]. fälligen is at rank #32,045, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfɛlɪɡn̩].

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 40102, this pair ranks #1,518,016 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fällig vs fälligen

Shared letters: fgilä. Private to "fällig": -. Private to "fälligen": en.

"fällig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "fälligen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

fällig#8,057
fälligen#32,045

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fällig" and "fälligen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɛlɪç] versus [ˈfɛlɪɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fällig" or "fälligen"?
"fällig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,057 in our German list, against #32,045 for "fälligen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fällig vs fälligen

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 “fällig” 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