leistungsfähigvsleistungsfähigenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,508
“leistungsfähig” frequency rank
#42,651
“leistungsfähigen” frequency rank
82159
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature leistungsfähig leistungsfähigen
Definition imstande, eine Leistung zu vollbringen, eine Arbeit zu leisten Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs leistungsfähig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set leistungsfähig and leistungsfähigen apart are highlighted. They share 14 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

14 ch
leistungsfähig
16 ch
leistungsfähigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

leistungsfähig and leistungsfähigen form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “leistungsfähig” sits inside “leistungsfähigen” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 82159, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Side-by-side the two words carry different dictionary signatures. leistungsfähig is recorded at frequency rank #39,508, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯stʊŋsˌfɛːɪç]. leistungsfähigen is at rank #42,651, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯stʊŋsˌfɛːɪɡn̩]. When the two words belong to different parts of speech, sentence grammar alone usually resolves the confusion; when they share a part of speech, only semantic context separates them, which is why the pair earns a dedicated lookup page.

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. Automated spell-checkers cannot flag confusable substitution because every member of the pair is a valid dictionary word, only the writer, or a grammar/context tool, can confirm that the chosen spelling matches the intended meaning. PlainSpell's confusable index exists precisely to make that contextual choice explicit.

Frequency comparison

leistungsfähig#39,508
leistungsfähigen#42,651

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "leistungsfähig" and "leistungsfähigen" be used interchangeably?
No, "leistungsfähig" and "leistungsfähigen" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.
Where can I learn more about commonly confused words?
PlainSpell provides side-by-side comparisons for thousands of confusable word pairs across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German. Browse all confusable pairs or check our spelling guides for additional tips and memory tricks.

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Nearby confusable pairs

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Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:

PlainSpell, “leistungsfähig vs leistungsfähigen, German confusable word comparison” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/de/vs/leistungsfahig-vs-leistungsfahigen

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list