fröhlichenvsfröhlichesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,094
“fröhlichen” frequency rank
#24,341
“fröhliches” frequency rank
39435
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fröhlichen fröhliches
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs fröhlich Nominativ Singular Neutrum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs fröhlich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fröhlichen and fröhliches apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
fröhlichen
10 ch
fröhliches

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fröhlichen ([ˈfʁøːlɪçn̩]) and fröhliches ([ˈfʁøːlɪçəs]) 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 a single letter - n in “fröhlichen” becomes s in “fröhliches”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39435, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fröhlichen is recorded at frequency rank #15,094, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfʁøːlɪçn̩]. fröhliches is at rank #24,341, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfʁøːlɪçəs].

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 39435, this pair ranks #1,536,908 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fröhlichen vs fröhliches

Shared letters: cefhilrö. Private to "fröhlichen": n. Private to "fröhliches": s.

"fröhlichen" · 10 letters · shape CCVCCVCCVC  ·  "fröhliches" · 10 letters · shape CCVCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

fröhlichen#15,094
fröhliches#24,341

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fröhlichen" and "fröhliches" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfʁøːlɪçn̩] versus [ˈfʁøːlɪçəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fröhlichen" or "fröhliches"?
"fröhlichen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,094 in our German list, against #24,341 for "fröhliches". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fröhlichen vs fröhliches

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 “fröhlichen” 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