Which to use
“hartnäckig” and “hartnäckigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,825
- “hartnäckig” frequency rank
- #41,230
- “hartnäckigen” frequency rank
- 56055
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hartnäckig | hartnäckigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | auf etwas eigensinnig, beharrlich, unnachgiebig bestehend | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs hartnäckig |
Where the eye mixes hartnäckig and hartnäckigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. hartnäckig runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCCVC) against hartnäckigen's 12 (CVCCCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between hartnäckig and hartnäckigen
A purely visual mix-up. hartnäckig ([ˈhaʁtˌnɛkɪç]) and hartnäckigen ([ˈhaʁtˌnɛkɪɡn̩]) 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) - “hartnäckig” sits inside “hartnäckigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56055, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hartnäckig is recorded at frequency rank #14,825, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhaʁtˌnɛkɪç]. hartnäckigen is at rank #41,230, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhaʁtˌnɛkɪɡn̩].
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 56055, this pair ranks #955,372 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hartnäckig vs hartnäckigen
Shared letters: acghiknrtä. Private to "hartnäckig": -. Private to "hartnäckigen": e.
"hartnäckig" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC · "hartnäckigen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hartnäckig" and "hartnäckigen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hartnäckig" or "hartnäckigen"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "hartnäckig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hartnäckigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #955,372 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hartnäckig" and "hartnäckigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hartnäckige vs hartnäckigen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #955,372 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.