köstlichvsköstlicheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,750
“köstlich” frequency rank
#29,668
“köstliche” frequency rank
42418
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature köstlich köstliche
Definition von ungewöhnlich gutem Geschmack, die Sinne erfreuend Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs köstlich

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
köstlich
9 ch
köstliche

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. köstlich ([ˈkœstlɪç]) and köstliche ([ˈkœstlɪçə]) 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) - “köstlich” sits inside “köstliche”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42418, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

köstlich is recorded at frequency rank #12,750, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈkœstlɪç]. köstliche is at rank #29,668, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkœstlɪçə].

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 42418, this pair ranks #1,449,907 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of köstlich vs köstliche

Shared letters: chiklstö. Private to "köstlich": -. Private to "köstliche": e.

"köstlich" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC  ·  "köstliche" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCV

Frequency comparison

köstlich#12,750
köstliche#29,668

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "köstlich" and "köstliche" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkœstlɪç] versus [ˈkœstlɪçə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "köstlich" or "köstliche"?
"köstlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,750 in our German list, against #29,668 for "köstliche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering köstlich vs köstliche

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 “köstlich” 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