Which to use
“gesetzlich” and “gesetzlicher” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,490
- “gesetzlich” frequency rank
- #21,276
- “gesetzlicher” frequency rank
- 26766
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gesetzlich | gesetzlicher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | gesetzmäßig, dem Gesetz nach | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gesetzlich |
Where the eye mixes gesetzlich and gesetzlicher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. gesetzlich runs 10 letters (CVCVCCCVCC) against gesetzlicher's 12 (CVCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between gesetzlich and gesetzlicher
A purely visual mix-up. gesetzlich ([ɡəˈzɛt͡slɪç]) and gesetzlicher ([ɡəˈzɛt͡slɪçɐ]) 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) - “gesetzlich” sits inside “gesetzlicher”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26766, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gesetzlich is recorded at frequency rank #5,490, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈzɛt͡slɪç]. gesetzlicher is at rank #21,276, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈzɛt͡slɪçɐ].
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 26766, this pair ranks #1,812,748 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gesetzlich vs gesetzlicher
Shared letters: ceghilstz. Private to "gesetzlich": -. Private to "gesetzlicher": r.
"gesetzlich" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCC · "gesetzlicher" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- gesetzlich ← egsetzlich · geestzlich · gesetlzich · gesettzlich · gesetzilch · gesetzlcih · gesetzlicch · gesetzlichh
- gesetzlicher ← egsetzlicher · geestzlicher · gesetlzicher · gesettzlicher · gesetzilcher · gesetzlciher · gesetzliccher · gesetzlicehr
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "gesetzlich" for "gesetzlicher" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "gesetzlich" or "gesetzlicher" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "gesetzlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gesetzlicher" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,812,748 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gesetzlich" and "gesetzlicher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gesetzlicher vs gesetzliches". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,812,748 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.