Which to use
“gesetzlichen” and “gesetzlicher” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,615
- “gesetzlichen” frequency rank
- #21,276
- “gesetzlicher” frequency rank
- 25891
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gesetzlichen | gesetzlicher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs gesetzlich | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gesetzlich |
Where the eye mixes gesetzlichen and gesetzlicher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. gesetzlichen and gesetzlicher follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: gesetzlichen vs gesetzlicher
A purely visual mix-up. gesetzlichen ([ɡəˈzɛt͡slɪçn̩]) 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 a single letter - n in “gesetzlichen” becomes r in “gesetzlicher”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25891, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gesetzlichen is recorded at frequency rank #4,615, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈzɛt͡slɪçn̩]. 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 25891, this pair ranks #1,826,426 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gesetzlichen vs gesetzlicher
Shared letters: ceghilstz. Private to "gesetzlichen": n. Private to "gesetzlicher": r.
"gesetzlichen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC · "gesetzlicher" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- gesetzlichen ← egsetzlichen · geestzlichen · gesetlzichen · gesettzlichen · gesetzilchen · gesetzlcihen · gesetzlicchen · gesetzlicehn
- gesetzlicher ← egsetzlicher · geestzlicher · gesetlzicher · gesettzlicher · gesetzilcher · gesetzlciher · gesetzliccher · gesetzlicehr
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gesetzlichen" and "gesetzlicher" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "gesetzlichen" 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 "gesetzlichen" 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 #1,826,426 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gesetzlichen" 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 #1,826,426 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.