gläsernvsgläserneWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,962
“gläsern” frequency rank
#39,394
“gläserne” frequency rank
63356
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gläsern gläserne
Definition aus Glas bestehend, aus Glas gefertigt Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gläsern

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gläsern and gläserne apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
gläsern
8 ch
gläserne

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gläsern ([ˈɡlɛːzɐn]) and gläserne ([ˈɡlɛːzɐnə]) 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) - “gläsern” sits inside “gläserne”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63356, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gläsern is recorded at frequency rank #23,962, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡlɛːzɐn]. gläserne is at rank #39,394, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡlɛːzɐnə].

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 63356, this pair ranks #679,603 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gläsern vs gläserne

Shared letters: eglnrsä. Private to "gläsern": -. Private to "gläserne": -.

"gläsern" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCC  ·  "gläserne" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCCV

Frequency comparison

gläsern#23,962
gläserne#39,394

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gläsern" and "gläserne" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡlɛːzɐn] versus [ˈɡlɛːzɐnə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gläsern" or "gläserne"?
"gläsern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,962 in our German list, against #39,394 for "gläserne". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gläsern vs gläserne

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 “gläsern” 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