herrlichvsherrlichenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,184
“herrlich” frequency rank
#12,094
“herrlichen” frequency rank
17278
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature herrlich herrlichen
Definition besonders erfreulich, die Erwartungen übertreffend, wunderschön; so gut, schön oder auf andere Art positiv, dass sich kaum etwas Besseres, Schöneres oder sonst Positiveres vorstellen lässt Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs herrlich

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
herrlich
10 ch
herrlichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. herrlich ([ˈhɛʁlɪç]) and herrlichen ([ˈhɛʁlɪçn̩]) 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) - “herrlich” sits inside “herrlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17278, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

herrlich is recorded at frequency rank #5,184, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛʁlɪç]. herrlichen is at rank #12,094, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛʁlɪçn̩].

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 17278, this pair ranks #1,928,800 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of herrlich vs herrlichen

Shared letters: cehilr. Private to "herrlich": -. Private to "herrlichen": n.

"herrlich" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC  ·  "herrlichen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • herrlichherlrich · herrilch · herrlcih · herrlicch · herrlichh · herrlihc · herrllich · hherrlich
  • herrlichenehrrlichen · herlichen · herlrichen · herrilchen · herrlcihen · herrlicchen · herrlicehn · herrlichenn

Frequency comparison

herrlich#5,184
herrlichen#12,094

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "herrlich" and "herrlichen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɛʁlɪç] versus [ˈhɛʁlɪçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "herrlich" or "herrlichen"?
"herrlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,184 in our German list, against #12,094 for "herrlichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering herrlich vs herrlichen

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 “herrlich” 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