gesetzlichevsgesetzlicherWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,597
“gesetzliche” frequency rank
#21,276
“gesetzlicher” frequency rank
26873
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gesetzliche gesetzlicher
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs gesetzlich Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gesetzlich

Where the spellings diverge

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

11 ch
gesetzliche
12 ch
gesetzlicher

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gesetzliche ([ɡəˈzɛt͡slɪçə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “gesetzliche” sits inside “gesetzlicher”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26873, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gesetzliche is recorded at frequency rank #5,597, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈzɛt͡slɪçə]. 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 26873, this pair ranks #1,811,017 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gesetzliche vs gesetzlicher

Shared letters: ceghilstz. Private to "gesetzliche": -. Private to "gesetzlicher": r.

"gesetzliche" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCV  ·  "gesetzlicher" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gesetzlicheegsetzliche · geestzliche · gesetlziche · gesettzliche · gesetzilche · gesetzlcihe · gesetzlicche · gesetzliceh
  • gesetzlicheregsetzlicher · geestzlicher · gesetlzicher · gesettzlicher · gesetzilcher · gesetzlciher · gesetzliccher · gesetzlicehr

Frequency comparison

gesetzliche#5,597
gesetzlicher#21,276

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gesetzliche" and "gesetzlicher" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈzɛt͡slɪçə] versus [ɡəˈzɛt͡slɪçɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gesetzliche" or "gesetzlicher"?
"gesetzliche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,597 in our German list, against #21,276 for "gesetzlicher". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gesetzliche vs gesetzlicher

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 “gesetzliche” 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