freiwilligvsfreiwilligesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,248
“freiwillig” frequency rank
#32,042
“freiwilliges” frequency rank
35290
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature freiwillig freiwilliges
Definition aus freiem Willen, ohne explizite Aufforderung Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs freiwillig

Where the spellings diverge

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

10 ch
freiwillig
12 ch
freiwilliges

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. freiwillig ([ˈfʁaɪ̯ˌvɪlɪç]) and freiwilliges ([ˈfʁaɪ̯ˌvɪlɪɡəs]) 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) - “freiwillig” sits inside “freiwilliges”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35290, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

freiwillig is recorded at frequency rank #3,248, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfʁaɪ̯ˌvɪlɪç]. freiwilliges is at rank #32,042, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfʁaɪ̯ˌvɪlɪɡəs].

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 35290, this pair ranks #1,643,475 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of freiwillig vs freiwilliges

Shared letters: efgilrw. Private to "freiwillig": -. Private to "freiwilliges": s.

"freiwillig" · 10 letters · shape CCVVCVCCVC  ·  "freiwilliges" · 12 letters · shape CCVVCVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • freiwilligferiwillig · ffreiwillig · freiiwllig · freiwilig · freiwililg · freiwillgi · freiwilligg · freiwlilig
  • freiwilligesferiwilliges · ffreiwilliges · freiiwlliges · freiwiliges · freiwililges · freiwillgies · freiwilliegs · freiwilligess

Frequency comparison

freiwillig#3,248
freiwilliges#32,042

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "freiwillig" and "freiwilliges" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfʁaɪ̯ˌvɪlɪç] versus [ˈfʁaɪ̯ˌvɪlɪɡəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "freiwillig" or "freiwilliges"?
"freiwillig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,248 in our German list, against #32,042 for "freiwilliges". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering freiwillig vs freiwilliges

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 “freiwillig” 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