Which to use
“herzlich” and “herzlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,049
- “herzlich” frequency rank
- #4,355
- “herzlichen” frequency rank
- 7404
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | herzlich | herzlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | freundlich gesinnt | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs herzlich |
Where the eye mixes herzlich and herzlichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. herzlich runs 8 letters (CVCCCVCC) against herzlichen's 10 (CVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses herzlich with herzlichen
A purely visual mix-up. herzlich ([ˈhɛʁt͡slɪç]) and herzlichen ([ˈhɛʁt͡slɪçn̩]) 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) - “herzlich” sits inside “herzlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7404, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
herzlich is recorded at frequency rank #3,049, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛʁt͡slɪç]. herzlichen is at rank #4,355, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛʁt͡slɪçn̩].
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 7404, this pair ranks #1,988,286 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of herzlich vs herzlichen
Shared letters: cehilrz. Private to "herzlich": -. Private to "herzlichen": n.
"herzlich" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC · "herzlichen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- herzlich ← ehrzlich · herlzich · herrzlich · herzilch · herzlcih · herzlicch · herzlichh · herzlihc
- herzlichen ← ehrzlichen · herlzichen · herrzlichen · herzilchen · herzlcihen · herzlicchen · herzlicehn · herzlichenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "herzlich" and "herzlichen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "herzlich" or "herzlichen" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "herzlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "herzlichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,988,286 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "herzlich" and "herzlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "herrlichem vs herzlichen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,988,286 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.