körperlichvskörperlichenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#6,688
“körperlich” frequency rank
#8,094
“körperlichen” frequency rank
14782
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature körperlich körperlichen
Definition den menschlichen oder tierischen Körper betreffend, auf ihn bezogen Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs körperlich

Where the eye mixes körperlich and körperlichen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. körperlich runs 10 letters (CVCCVCCVCC) against körperlichen's 12 (CVCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
körperlich
12 ch
körperlichen

Visual trap between körperlich and körperlichen

A purely visual mix-up. körperlich ([ˈkœʁpɐlɪç]) and körperlichen ([ˈkœʁpɐlɪçn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “körperlich” sits inside “körperlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14782, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

körperlich is recorded at frequency rank #6,688, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈkœʁpɐlɪç]. körperlichen is at rank #8,094, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkœʁpɐlɪçn̩].

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 14782, this pair ranks #1,948,792 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of körperlich vs körperlichen

Shared letters: cehiklprö. Private to "körperlich": -. Private to "körperlichen": n.

"körperlich" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC  ·  "körperlichen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "körperlich" for "körperlichen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkœʁpɐlɪç] versus [ˈkœʁpɐlɪçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "körperlich" or "körperlichen"?
"körperlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,688 in our German list, against #8,094 for "körperlichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "körperlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "körperlichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,948,792 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "körperlich" and "körperlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "körperlichen vs körperliches". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,948,792 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list