identischvsidentischeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,547
“identisch” frequency rank
#23,183
“identische” frequency rank
29730
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature identisch identische
Definition sich vollkommen gleichend, vollkommen gleich, vollkommen gleichartig, übereinstimmend Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs identisch

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set identisch and identische apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
identisch
10 ch
identische

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. identisch ([iˈdɛntɪʃ]) and identische ([iˈdɛntɪʃə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “identisch” sits inside “identische”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29730, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

identisch is recorded at frequency rank #6,547, classified as anadj, pronounced [iˈdɛntɪʃ]. identische is at rank #23,183, tagged as anadj, pronounced [iˈdɛntɪʃə].

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 29730, this pair ranks #1,761,363 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of identisch vs identische

Shared letters: cdehinst. Private to "identisch": -. Private to "identische": -.

"identisch" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCC  ·  "identische" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • identischdientisch · iddentisch · idenitsch · idenntisch · identicsh · identiscch · identischh · identishc
  • identischedientische · iddentische · idenitsche · idenntische · identicshe · identiscche · identisceh · identischhe

Frequency comparison

identisch#6,547
identische#23,183

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "identisch" and "identische" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([iˈdɛntɪʃ] versus [iˈdɛntɪʃə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "identisch" or "identische"?
"identisch" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,547 in our German list, against #23,183 for "identische". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering identisch vs identische

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 “identisch” 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