gefährlichenvsgefährlichstenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,475
“gefährlichen” frequency rank
#22,730
“gefährlichsten” frequency rank
30205
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gefährlichen gefährlichsten
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gefährlich Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs gefährlich

Where the spellings diverge

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

12 ch
gefährlichen
14 ch
gefährlichsten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gefährlichen ([ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯lɪçn̩]) and gefährlichsten ([ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯lɪçstn̩]) 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 30205, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gefährlichen is recorded at frequency rank #7,475, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯lɪçn̩]. gefährlichsten is at rank #22,730, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯lɪçstn̩].

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 30205, this pair ranks #1,752,382 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gefährlichen vs gefährlichsten

Shared letters: cefghilnrä. Private to "gefährlichen": -. Private to "gefährlichsten": st.

"gefährlichen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC  ·  "gefährlichsten" · 14 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCCCVC

Frequency comparison

gefährlichen#7,475
gefährlichsten#22,730

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gefährlichen" and "gefährlichsten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯lɪçn̩] versus [ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯lɪçstn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gefährlichen" or "gefährlichsten"?
"gefährlichen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,475 in our German list, against #22,730 for "gefährlichsten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gefährlichen vs gefährlichsten

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 “gefährlichen” 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