gebräuchlichvsgebräuchlicheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,886
“gebräuchlich” frequency rank
#38,124
“gebräuchliche” frequency rank
65010
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gebräuchlich gebräuchliche
Definition im Gebrauch; im gegenwärtigen Gebrauch befindlich; in bestimmter Häufigkeit verwendet Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs gebräuchlich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gebräuchlich and gebräuchliche apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
gebräuchlich
13 ch
gebräuchliche

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gebräuchlich ([ɡəˈbʁɔɪ̯çlɪç]) and gebräuchliche ([ɡəˈbʁɔɪ̯çlɪçə]) 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) - “gebräuchlich” sits inside “gebräuchliche”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65010, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gebräuchlich is recorded at frequency rank #26,886, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈbʁɔɪ̯çlɪç]. gebräuchliche is at rank #38,124, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈbʁɔɪ̯çlɪçə].

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 65010, this pair ranks #621,638 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gebräuchlich vs gebräuchliche

Shared letters: bceghilruä. Private to "gebräuchlich": -. Private to "gebräuchliche": -.

"gebräuchlich" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVVCCCVCC  ·  "gebräuchliche" · 13 letters · shape CVCCVVCCCVCCV

Frequency comparison

gebräuchlich#26,886
gebräuchliche#38,124

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gebräuchlich" and "gebräuchliche" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈbʁɔɪ̯çlɪç] versus [ɡəˈbʁɔɪ̯çlɪçə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gebräuchlich" or "gebräuchliche"?
"gebräuchlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,886 in our German list, against #38,124 for "gebräuchliche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gebräuchlich vs gebräuchliche

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 “gebräuchlich” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list