jugendlichvsJugendlichenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: jugendlich is a adjective, Jugendlichen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#19,619
“jugendlich” frequency rank
#2,548
“Jugendlichen” frequency rank
22167
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature jugendlich Jugendlichen
Definition zwischen Kindheit und Erwachsensein Genitiv Singular der starken Flexion des Substantivs Jugendlicher

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set jugendlich and Jugendlichen apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
jugendlich
12 ch
Jugendlichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: jugendlich is [ˈjuːɡn̩tlɪç] while Jugendlichen is [ˈjuːɡəntlɪçn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “jugendlich” sits inside “Jugendlichen”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22167, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

jugendlich is recorded at frequency rank #19,619, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈjuːɡn̩tlɪç]. Jugendlichen is at rank #2,548, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈjuːɡəntlɪçn̩].

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 22167, this pair ranks #1,877,485 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of jugendlich vs Jugendlichen

Shared letters: cdeghijlnu. Private to "jugendlich": -. Private to "Jugendlichen": -.

"jugendlich" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCC  ·  "Jugendlichen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • jugendlichjguendlich · jjugendlich · juegndlich · jugednlich · jugenddlich · jugendilch · jugendlcih · jugendlicch
  • Jugendlichenjguendlichen · jjugendlichen · juegndlichen · jugednlichen · jugenddlichen · jugendilchen · jugendlcihen · jugendlicchen

Frequency comparison

jugendlich#19,619
Jugendlichen#2,548

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "jugendlich" and "Jugendlichen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "jugendlich" is an adjective and "Jugendlichen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "jugendlich" or "Jugendlichen"?
"Jugendlichen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,548 in our German list, against #19,619 for "jugendlich". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering jugendlich vs Jugendlichen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “jugendlich”; for a noun, it's “Jugendlichen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “jugendlich” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list