gnädigvsgnädigeTell them apart

Which to use

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

#23,550
“gnädig” frequency rank
#33,090
“gnädige” frequency rank
56640
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gnädig gnädige
Definition barmherzig, gütiger Gesinnung, Gnade zeigend Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gnädig

Where the eye mixes gnädig and gnädige

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. gnädig runs 6 letters (CCVCVC) against gnädige's 7 (CCVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
gnädig
7 ch
gnädige

Look-alike desk: gnädig vs gnädige

A purely visual mix-up. gnädig ([ˈɡnɛːdɪç]) and gnädige ([ˈɡnɛːdɪɡə]) 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) - “gnädig” sits inside “gnädige”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56640, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gnädig is recorded at frequency rank #23,550, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡnɛːdɪç]. gnädige is at rank #33,090, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡnɛːdɪɡə].

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 56640, this pair ranks #932,455 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gnädig vs gnädige

Shared letters: dginä. Private to "gnädig": -. Private to "gnädige": e.

"gnädig" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "gnädige" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "gnädig" for "gnädige" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡnɛːdɪç] versus [ˈɡnɛːdɪɡə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "gnädig" vs "gnädige" - which ranks higher?
"gnädig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,550 in our German list, against #33,090 for "gnädige". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "gnädig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "gnädige" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #932,455 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "gnädig" and "gnädige" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Gnade vs gnädige". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #932,455 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list