Which to use
“feindlich” and “feindlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,006
- “feindlich” frequency rank
- #15,622
- “feindlichen” frequency rank
- 41628
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | feindlich | feindlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | als Feind; wie ein Feind; ein Feind seiend; vom Feind | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs feindlich |
Where the eye mixes feindlich and feindlichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. feindlich runs 9 letters (CVVCCCVCC) against feindlichen's 11 (CVVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: feindlich vs feindlichen
A purely visual mix-up. feindlich ([ˈfaɪ̯ntlɪç]) and feindlichen ([ˈfaɪ̯ntlɪçn̩]) 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) - “feindlich” sits inside “feindlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41628, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
feindlich is recorded at frequency rank #26,006, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯ntlɪç]. feindlichen is at rank #15,622, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯ntlɪçn̩].
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 41628, this pair ranks #1,473,741 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of feindlich vs feindlichen
Shared letters: cdefhiln. Private to "feindlich": -. Private to "feindlichen": -.
"feindlich" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCCVCC · "feindlichen" · 11 letters · shape CVVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- feindlich ← efindlich · feidnlich · feinddlich · feindilch · feindlcih · feindlicch · feindlichh · feindlihc
- feindlichen ← efindlichen · feidnlichen · feinddlichen · feindilchen · feindlcihen · feindlicchen · feindlicehn · feindlichenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "feindlich" for "feindlichen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "feindlich" or "feindlichen"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "feindlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "feindlichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,473,741 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "feindlich" and "feindlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "feindlich vs feindliches". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,473,741 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.