Which to use
“hässlich” and “hässliches” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,806
- “hässlich” frequency rank
- #31,109
- “hässliches” frequency rank
- 37915
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hässlich | hässliches |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | unschön aussehend, nicht den vorherrschenden Normen über gutes Aussehen entsprechend | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs hässlich |
Where the eye mixes hässlich and hässliches
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. hässlich runs 8 letters (CVCCCVCC) against hässliches's 10 (CVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses hässlich with hässliches
A purely visual mix-up. hässlich ([ˈhɛslɪç]) and hässliches ([ˈhɛslɪçəs]) 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 “hässliches”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37915, 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]. hässliches is at rank #31,109, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛslɪçəs].
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 37915, this pair ranks #1,577,756 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hässlich vs hässliches
Shared letters: chilsä. Private to "hässlich": -. Private to "hässliches": e.
"hässlich" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC · "hässliches" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hässlich" and "hässliches" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hässlich" or "hässliches"?
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 "hässlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hässliches" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,577,756 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hässlich" and "hässliches" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hässliches vs häuslicher". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,577,756 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.