glücklichenvsglücklicherWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,560
“glücklichen” frequency rank
#8,070
“glücklicher” frequency rank
17630
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature glücklichen glücklicher
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs glücklich Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs glücklich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set glücklichen and glücklicher apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
glücklichen
11 ch
glücklicher

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. glücklichen ([ˈɡlʏklɪçn̩]) and glücklicher ([ˈɡlʏklɪçɐ]) 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 “glücklichen” becomes r in “glücklicher”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17630, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

glücklichen is recorded at frequency rank #9,560, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡlʏklɪçn̩]. glücklicher is at rank #8,070, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡlʏklɪçɐ].

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 17630, this pair ranks #1,925,689 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of glücklichen vs glücklicher

Shared letters: ceghiklü. Private to "glücklichen": n. Private to "glücklicher": r.

"glücklichen" · 11 letters · shape CCVCCCVCCVC  ·  "glücklicher" · 11 letters · shape CCVCCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

glücklichen#9,560
glücklicher#8,070

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "glücklichen" and "glücklicher" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡlʏklɪçn̩] versus [ˈɡlʏklɪçɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "glücklichen" or "glücklicher"?
"glücklicher" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,070 in our German list, against #9,560 for "glücklichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering glücklichen vs glücklicher

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 “glücklichen” 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