Which to use
“hässlich” and “hässlicher” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,806
- “hässlich” frequency rank
- #28,253
- “hässlicher” frequency rank
- 35059
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hässlich | hässlicher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | unschön aussehend, nicht den vorherrschenden Normen über gutes Aussehen entsprechend | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs hässlich |
Where the eye mixes hässlich and hässlicher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. hässlich runs 8 letters (CVCCCVCC) against hässlicher's 10 (CVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between hässlich and hässlicher
A purely visual mix-up. hässlich ([ˈhɛslɪç]) and hässlicher ([ˈhɛslɪçɐ]) 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) - “hässlich” sits inside “hässlicher”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35059, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hässlich is recorded at frequency rank #6,806, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛslɪç]. hässlicher is at rank #28,253, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛslɪçɐ].
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 35059, this pair ranks #1,649,037 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hässlich vs hässlicher
Shared letters: chilsä. Private to "hässlich": -. Private to "hässlicher": er.
"hässlich" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC · "hässlicher" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hässlich" and "hässlicher" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "hässlich" or "hässlicher" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "hässlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hässlicher" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,649,037 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hässlich" and "hässlicher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hässlicher vs hässliches". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,649,037 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.