grundsätzlichenvsgrundsätzlichesTell them apart

Which to use

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

#17,924
“grundsätzlichen” frequency rank
#30,098
“grundsätzliches” frequency rank
48022
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature grundsätzlichen grundsätzliches
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs grundsätzlich Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs grundsätzlich

Where the eye mixes grundsätzlichen and grundsätzliches

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 14 letters in sequence. grundsätzlichen and grundsätzliches follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCCCVCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

15 ch
grundsätzlichen
15 ch
grundsätzliches

Visual trap between grundsätzlichen and grundsätzliches

A purely visual mix-up. grundsätzlichen ([ˈɡʁʊntˌz̥ɛt͡slɪçn̩]) and grundsätzliches ([ˈɡʁʊntˌz̥ɛt͡slɪçəs]) 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 “grundsätzlichen” becomes s in “grundsätzliches”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48022, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

grundsätzlichen is recorded at frequency rank #17,924, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡʁʊntˌz̥ɛt͡slɪçn̩]. grundsätzliches is at rank #30,098, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡʁʊntˌz̥ɛt͡slɪçəs].

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 48022, this pair ranks #1,263,647 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of grundsätzlichen vs grundsätzliches

Shared letters: cdeghilnrstuzä. Private to "grundsätzlichen": -. Private to "grundsätzliches": -.

"grundsätzlichen" · 15 letters · shape CCVCCCVCCCVCCVC  ·  "grundsätzliches" · 15 letters · shape CCVCCCVCCCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "grundsätzlichen" and "grundsätzliches" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡʁʊntˌz̥ɛt͡slɪçn̩] versus [ˈɡʁʊntˌz̥ɛt͡slɪçəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "grundsätzlichen" or "grundsätzliches"?
"grundsätzlichen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,924 in our German list, against #30,098 for "grundsätzliches". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "grundsätzlichen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "grundsätzliches" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,263,647 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "grundsätzlichen" and "grundsätzliches" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "grundsätzlicher vs grundsätzliches". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,263,647 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