hässlichenvshäuslicherWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,915
“hässlichen” frequency rank
#30,616
“häuslicher” frequency rank
46531
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the spellings diverge

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

10 ch
hässlichen
10 ch
häuslicher

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hässlichen ([ˈhɛslɪçn̩]) and häuslicher ([ˈhɔɪ̯slɪçɐ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46531, 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]. häuslicher is at rank #30,616, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɔɪ̯slɪçɐ].

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 46531, this pair ranks #1,315,854 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hässlichen vs häuslicher

Shared letters: cehilsä. Private to "hässlichen": n. Private to "häuslicher": ru.

"hässlichen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "häuslicher" · 10 letters · shape CVVCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

hässlichen#15,915
häuslicher#30,616

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hässlichen" and "häuslicher" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɛslɪçn̩] versus [ˈhɔɪ̯slɪçɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hässlichen" or "häuslicher"?
"hässlichen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,915 in our German list, against #30,616 for "häuslicher". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hässlichen vs häuslicher

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