feindlichenvsfreundlichenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#15,622
“feindlichen” frequency rank
#8,369
“freundlichen” frequency rank
23991
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature feindlichen freundlichen
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs feindlich Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs freundlich

Where the eye mixes feindlichen and freundlichen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. feindlichen runs 11 letters (CVVCCCVCCVC) against freundlichen's 12 (CCVVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch
feindlichen
12 ch
freundlichen

Visual trap between feindlichen and freundlichen

A purely visual mix-up. feindlichen ([ˈfaɪ̯ntlɪçn̩]) and freundlichen ([ˈfʁɔɪ̯ntlɪçn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23991, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

feindlichen is recorded at frequency rank #15,622, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfaɪ̯ntlɪçn̩]. freundlichen is at rank #8,369, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfʁɔɪ̯ntlɪçn̩].

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 23991, this pair ranks #1,853,787 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of feindlichen vs freundlichen

Shared letters: cdefhiln. Private to "feindlichen": -. Private to "freundlichen": ru.

"feindlichen" · 11 letters · shape CVVCCCVCCVC  ·  "freundlichen" · 12 letters · shape CCVVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • feindlichenefindlichen · feidnlichen · feinddlichen · feindilchen · feindlcihen · feindlicchen · feindlicehn · feindlichenn
  • freundlichenferundlichen · ffreundlichen · frenudlichen · freudnlichen · freunddlichen · freundilchen · freundlcihen · freundlicchen

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "feindlichen" and "freundlichen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfaɪ̯ntlɪçn̩] versus [ˈfʁɔɪ̯ntlɪçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "feindlichen" vs "freundlichen" - which ranks higher?
"freundlichen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,369 in our German list, against #15,622 for "feindlichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "feindlichen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "freundlichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,853,787 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "feindlichen" and "freundlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "feindlichen 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 #1,853,787 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list