Which to use
“gelegentlich” and “gelegentlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,528
- “gelegentlich” frequency rank
- #31,568
- “gelegentlichen” frequency rank
- 35096
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gelegentlich | gelegentlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | wenn sich eine günstige, passende Gelegenheit bietet, wenn es die Umstände erlauben, bei Gelegenheit | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gelegentlich |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gelegentlich and gelegentlichen 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. gelegentlich ([ɡəˈleːɡn̩tlɪç]) and gelegentlichen ([ɡəˈleːɡn̩tlɪçn̩]) 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) - “gelegentlich” sits inside “gelegentlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35096, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gelegentlich is recorded at frequency rank #3,528, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈleːɡn̩tlɪç]. gelegentlichen is at rank #31,568, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈleːɡn̩tlɪçn̩].
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 35096, this pair ranks #1,648,173 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gelegentlich vs gelegentlichen
Shared letters: ceghilnt. Private to "gelegentlich": -. Private to "gelegentlichen": -.
"gelegentlich" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCVCCCVCC · "gelegentlichen" · 14 letters · shape CVCVCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- gelegentlich ← eglegentlich · geelgentlich · geleegntlich · gelegenltich · gelegenntlich · gelegentilch · gelegentlcih · gelegentlicch
- gelegentlichen ← eglegentlichen · geelgentlichen · geleegntlichen · gelegenltichen · gelegenntlichen · gelegentilchen · gelegentlcihen · gelegentlicchen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gelegentlich" and "gelegentlichen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gelegentlich" or "gelegentlichen"?
Remembering gelegentlich vs gelegentlichen
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 “gelegentlich” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable