hässlichenvshäuslicheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,915
“hässlichen” frequency rank
#19,611
“häusliche” frequency rank
35526
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hässlichen häusliche
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs hässlich Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs häuslich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hässlichen and häusliche apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
hässlichen
9 ch
häusliche

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hässlichen ([ˈhɛslɪçn̩]) and häusliche ([ˈhɔɪ̯slɪçə]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35526, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hässlichen is recorded at frequency rank #15,915, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛslɪçn̩]. häusliche is at rank #19,611, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɔɪ̯slɪçə].

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 35526, this pair ranks #1,637,877 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hässlichen vs häusliche

Shared letters: cehilsä. Private to "hässlichen": n. Private to "häusliche": u.

"hässlichen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "häusliche" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCVCCV

Frequency comparison

hässlichen#15,915
häusliche#19,611

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hässlichen" and "häusliche" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɛslɪçn̩] versus [ˈhɔɪ̯slɪçə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hässlichen" or "häusliche"?
"hässlichen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,915 in our German list, against #19,611 for "häusliche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hässlichen vs häusliche

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 “hässlichen” 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