freiwilligevsfreiwilligesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,481
“freiwillige” frequency rank
#32,042
“freiwilliges” frequency rank
37523
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature freiwillige freiwilliges
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs freiwillig Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs freiwillig

Where the spellings diverge

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

11 ch
freiwillige
12 ch
freiwilliges

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. freiwillige ([ˈfʁaɪ̯ˌvɪlɪɡə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “freiwillige” sits inside “freiwilliges”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37523, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

freiwillige is recorded at frequency rank #5,481, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfʁaɪ̯ˌvɪlɪɡə]. 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 37523, this pair ranks #1,587,996 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of freiwillige vs freiwilliges

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

"freiwillige" · 11 letters · shape CCVVCVCCVCV  ·  "freiwilliges" · 12 letters · shape CCVVCVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • freiwilligeferiwillige · ffreiwillige · freiiwllige · freiwilige · freiwililge · freiwillgie · freiwillieg · freiwilligge
  • freiwilligesferiwilliges · ffreiwilliges · freiiwlliges · freiwiliges · freiwililges · freiwillgies · freiwilliegs · freiwilligess

Frequency comparison

freiwillige#5,481
freiwilliges#32,042

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "freiwillige" and "freiwilliges" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfʁaɪ̯ˌvɪlɪɡə] versus [ˈfʁaɪ̯ˌvɪlɪɡəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "freiwillige" or "freiwilliges"?
"freiwillige" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,481 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 freiwillige 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 “freiwillige” 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