gefährlichevsgefährlichsteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,589
“gefährliche” frequency rank
#26,888
“gefährlichste” frequency rank
32477
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gefährliche gefährlichste
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs gefährlich Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs gefährlich

Where the spellings diverge

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

11 ch
gefährliche
13 ch
gefährlichste

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gefährliche ([ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯lɪçə]) and gefährlichste ([ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯lɪçstə]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32477, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gefährliche is recorded at frequency rank #5,589, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯lɪçə]. gefährlichste is at rank #26,888, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯lɪçstə].

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 32477, this pair ranks #1,706,754 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gefährliche vs gefährlichste

Shared letters: cefghilrä. Private to "gefährliche": -. Private to "gefährlichste": st.

"gefährliche" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCV  ·  "gefährlichste" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCCCV

Frequency comparison

gefährliche#5,589
gefährlichste#26,888

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gefährliche" and "gefährlichste" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯lɪçə] versus [ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯lɪçstə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gefährliche" or "gefährlichste"?
"gefährliche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,589 in our German list, against #26,888 for "gefährlichste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gefährliche vs gefährlichste

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 “gefährliche” 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