IntellektuellevsintellektuellenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Intellektuelle is a noun, intellektuellen is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Intellektuelle” is a noun and “intellektuellen” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#13,172
“Intellektuelle” frequency rank
#12,512
“intellektuellen” frequency rank
25684
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Intellektuelle intellektuellen
Definition geistig, künstlerisch oder schöpferisch tätige Frau Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs intellektuell

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Intellektuelle and intellektuellen apart are highlighted. They share 14 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

14 ch
Intellektuelle
15 ch
intellektuellen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Intellektuelle is [ˌɪntɛlɛktuˈɛlə] while intellektuellen is [ˌɪntɛlɛktuˈɛlən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Intellektuelle” sits inside “intellektuellen”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25684, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Intellektuelle is recorded at frequency rank #13,172, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˌɪntɛlɛktuˈɛlə]. intellektuellen is at rank #12,512, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌɪntɛlɛktuˈɛlən].

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 25684, this pair ranks #1,829,561 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Intellektuelle vs intellektuellen

Shared letters: eiklntu. Private to "Intellektuelle": -. Private to "intellektuellen": -.

"Intellektuelle" · 14 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVVCCV  ·  "intellektuellen" · 15 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Intellektuelleinetllektuelle · inntellektuelle · intelektuelle · intelelktuelle · intellekktuelle · intellekteulle · intellekttuelle · intellektuele
  • intellektuelleninetllektuellen · inntellektuellen · intelektuellen · intelelktuellen · intellekktuellen · intellekteullen · intellekttuellen · intellektueleln

Frequency comparison

Intellektuelle#13,172
intellektuellen#12,512

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Intellektuelle" and "intellektuellen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Intellektuelle" is a noun and "intellektuellen" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Intellektuelle" or "intellektuellen"?
"intellektuellen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,512 in our German list, against #13,172 for "Intellektuelle". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Intellektuelle vs intellektuellen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Intellektuelle”; for an adjective, it's “intellektuellen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Intellektuelle” 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