heikelvsheiklenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,979
“heikel” frequency rank
#41,882
“heiklen” frequency rank
65861
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature heikel heiklen
Definition schwer zufrieden zu stellen Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs heikel

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set heikel and heiklen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
heikel
7 ch
heiklen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. heikel ([ˈhaɪ̯kl̩]) and heiklen ([ˈhaɪ̯klən]) 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 65861, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

heikel is recorded at frequency rank #23,979, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhaɪ̯kl̩]. heiklen is at rank #41,882, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhaɪ̯klən].

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 65861, this pair ranks #592,501 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of heikel vs heiklen

Shared letters: ehikl. Private to "heikel": -. Private to "heiklen": n.

"heikel" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "heiklen" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • heikelehikel · heiekl · heikell · heikkel · hekiel · hheikel · hiekel
  • heiklenehiklen · heikeln · heikklen · heiklenn · heikllen · heiklne · heilken · hekilen

Frequency comparison

heikel#23,979
heiklen#41,882

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "heikel" and "heiklen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhaɪ̯kl̩] versus [ˈhaɪ̯klən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "heikel" or "heiklen"?
"heikel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,979 in our German list, against #41,882 for "heiklen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering heikel vs heiklen

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 “heikel” 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