gültigvsgültigerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,432
“gültig” frequency rank
#45,328
“gültiger” frequency rank
51760
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gültig gültiger
Definition Geltung besitzend Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gültig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gültig and gültiger apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
gültig
8 ch
gültiger

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gültig ([ˈɡʏltɪç]) and gültiger ([ˈɡʏltɪɡɐ]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “gültig” sits inside “gültiger”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51760, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gültig is recorded at frequency rank #6,432, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡʏltɪç]. gültiger is at rank #45,328, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡʏltɪɡɐ].

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 51760, this pair ranks #1,123,060 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gültig vs gültiger

Shared letters: giltü. Private to "gültig": -. Private to "gültiger": er.

"gültig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "gültiger" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

gültig#6,432
gültiger#45,328

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gültig" and "gültiger" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡʏltɪç] versus [ˈɡʏltɪɡɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gültig" or "gültiger"?
"gültig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,432 in our German list, against #45,328 for "gültiger". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gültig vs gültiger

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 “gültig” 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