Which to use
“herzlichen” is an adjective and “herzlichst” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,355
- “herzlichen” frequency rank
- #33,639
- “herzlichst” frequency rank
- 37994
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | herzlichen | herzlichst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs herzlich | (zumindest sprachlich sich) aufs Äußerste zugetan (gebend) |
Where the eye mixes herzlichen and herzlichst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: herzlichen vs herzlichst
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: herzlichen is [ˈhɛʁt͡slɪçn̩] while herzlichst is [ˈhɛʁt͡slɪçst]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37994, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
herzlichen is recorded at frequency rank #4,355, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛʁt͡slɪçn̩]. herzlichst is at rank #33,639, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈhɛʁt͡slɪçst].
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 37994, this pair ranks #1,575,685 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of herzlichen vs herzlichst
Shared letters: cehilrz. Private to "herzlichen": n. Private to "herzlichst": st.
"herzlichen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC · "herzlichst" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- herzlichen ← ehrzlichen · herlzichen · herrzlichen · herzilchen · herzlcihen · herzlicchen · herzlicehn · herzlichenn
- herzlichst ← ehrzlichst · herlzichst · herrzlichst · herzilchst · herzlcihst · herzlicchst · herzlichhst · herzlichsst
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "herzlichen" for "herzlichst" ever safe?
Which is more common, "herzlichen" or "herzlichst"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "herzlichen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "herzlichst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,575,685 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "herzlichen" and "herzlichst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "herzlicher vs herzlichst". 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 #1,575,685 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.