Which to use
“fürchterlich” and “fürchterlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,433
- “fürchterlich” frequency rank
- #45,949
- “fürchterlichen” frequency rank
- 62382
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fürchterlich | fürchterlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erschreckend, grauenhaft | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs fürchterlich |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fürchterlich and fürchterlichen apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. fürchterlich ([ˈfʏʁçtɐlɪç]) and fürchterlichen ([ˈfʏʁçtɐlɪçn̩]) 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) - “fürchterlich” sits inside “fürchterlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62382, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fürchterlich is recorded at frequency rank #16,433, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfʏʁçtɐlɪç]. fürchterlichen is at rank #45,949, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfʏʁçtɐlɪçn̩].
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 62382, this pair ranks #714,965 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fürchterlich vs fürchterlichen
Shared letters: cefhilrtü. Private to "fürchterlich": -. Private to "fürchterlichen": n.
"fürchterlich" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVCC · "fürchterlichen" · 14 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVCCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fürchterlich" and "fürchterlichen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fürchterlich" or "fürchterlichen"?
Remembering fürchterlich vs fürchterlichen
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 “fürchterlich” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable