hässlichevshässlicherWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,510
“hässliche” frequency rank
#28,253
“hässlicher” frequency rank
40763
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hässliche hässlicher
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs hässlich Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs hässlich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hässliche and hässlicher apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
hässliche
10 ch
hässlicher

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hässliche ([ˈhɛslɪçə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “hässliche” sits inside “hässlicher”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40763, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hässliche is recorded at frequency rank #12,510, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛslɪçə]. 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 40763, this pair ranks #1,499,022 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hässliche vs hässlicher

Shared letters: cehilsä. Private to "hässliche": -. Private to "hässlicher": r.

"hässliche" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCV  ·  "hässlicher" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

hässliche#12,510
hässlicher#28,253

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hässliche" and "hässlicher" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɛslɪçə] versus [ˈhɛslɪçɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hässliche" or "hässlicher"?
"hässliche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,510 in our German list, against #28,253 for "hässlicher". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hässliche vs hässlicher

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 “hässliche” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list