jährlichvsjährlicheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,159
“jährlich” frequency rank
#7,943
“jährliche” frequency rank
10102
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature jährlich jährliche
Definition jedes Jahr; von Jahr zu Jahr; Jahr für Jahr Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs jährlich

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
jährlich
9 ch
jährliche

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. jährlich ([ˈjɛːɐ̯lɪç]) and jährliche ([ˈjɛːɐ̯lɪçə]) 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) - “jährlich” sits inside “jährliche”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10102, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

jährlich is recorded at frequency rank #2,159, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈjɛːɐ̯lɪç]. jährliche is at rank #7,943, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈjɛːɐ̯lɪçə].

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 10102, this pair ranks #1,976,792 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of jährlich vs jährliche

Shared letters: chijlrä. Private to "jährlich": -. Private to "jährliche": e.

"jährlich" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC  ·  "jährliche" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCV

Frequency comparison

jährlich#2,159
jährliche#7,943

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "jährlich" and "jährliche" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈjɛːɐ̯lɪç] versus [ˈjɛːɐ̯lɪçə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "jährlich" or "jährliche"?
"jährlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,159 in our German list, against #7,943 for "jährliche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering jährlich vs jährliche

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 “jährlich” 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