Which to use
“gesetzlichen” and “gesetzliches” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,615
- “gesetzlichen” frequency rank
- #45,979
- “gesetzliches” frequency rank
- 50594
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gesetzlichen | gesetzliches |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs gesetzlich | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gesetzlich |
Where the eye mixes gesetzlichen and gesetzliches
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. gesetzlichen and gesetzliches follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses gesetzlichen with gesetzliches
A purely visual mix-up. gesetzlichen ([ɡəˈzɛt͡slɪçn̩]) and gesetzliches ([ɡəˈzɛt͡slɪçəs]) 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 s in “gesetzliches”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50594, 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]. gesetzliches is at rank #45,979, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈzɛt͡slɪçəs].
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 50594, this pair ranks #1,167,756 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of gesetzlichen vs gesetzliches
Shared letters: ceghilstz. Private to "gesetzlichen": n. Private to "gesetzliches": -.
"gesetzlichen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC · "gesetzliches" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- gesetzlichen ← egsetzlichen · geestzlichen · gesetlzichen · gesettzlichen · gesetzilchen · gesetzlcihen · gesetzlicchen · gesetzlicehn
- gesetzliches ← egsetzliches · geestzliches · gesetlziches · gesettzliches · gesetzilches · gesetzlcihes · gesetzlicches · gesetzlicehs
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gesetzlichen" and "gesetzliches" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "gesetzlichen" vs "gesetzliches" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "gesetzlichen" and "gesetzliches" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "gesetzlichen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gesetzliches" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,167,756 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gesetzlichen" and "gesetzliches" 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 #1,167,756 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.