Which to use
“köstliche” and “köstlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,668
- “köstliche” frequency rank
- #32,634
- “köstlichen” frequency rank
- 62302
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | köstliche | köstlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs köstlich | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs köstlich |
Where the eye mixes köstliche and köstlichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. köstliche runs 9 letters (CVCCCVCCV) against köstlichen's 10 (CVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between köstliche and köstlichen
A purely visual mix-up. köstliche ([ˈkœstlɪçə]) and köstlichen ([ˈkœstlɪçn̩]) 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) - “köstliche” sits inside “köstlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62302, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
köstliche is recorded at frequency rank #29,668, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈkœstlɪçə]. köstlichen is at rank #32,634, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkœstlɪçn̩].
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 62302, this pair ranks #717,914 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of köstliche vs köstlichen
Shared letters: cehiklstö. Private to "köstliche": -. Private to "köstlichen": n.
"köstliche" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCV · "köstlichen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "köstliche" and "köstlichen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "köstliche" vs "köstlichen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "köstliche" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "köstlichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #717,914 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "köstliche" and "köstlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "köstlichen vs köstliches". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #717,914 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.