lesbischvslesbischenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,969
“lesbisch” frequency rank
#30,179
“lesbischen” frequency rank
49148
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lesbisch lesbischen
Definition von der Insel Lesbos Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs lesbisch

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
lesbisch
10 ch
lesbischen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lesbisch ([ˈlɛsbɪʃ]) and lesbischen ([ˈlɛsbɪʃn̩]) 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) - “lesbisch” sits inside “lesbischen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49148, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lesbisch is recorded at frequency rank #18,969, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlɛsbɪʃ]. lesbischen is at rank #30,179, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlɛsbɪʃn̩].

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 49148, this pair ranks #1,222,368 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lesbisch vs lesbischen

Shared letters: bcehils. Private to "lesbisch": -. Private to "lesbischen": n.

"lesbisch" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC  ·  "lesbischen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lesbischelsbisch · lebsisch · lesbbisch · lesbicsh · lesbiscch · lesbischh · lesbishc · lesbissch
  • lesbischenelsbischen · lebsischen · lesbbischen · lesbicshen · lesbiscchen · lesbiscehn · lesbischenn · lesbischhen

Frequency comparison

lesbisch#18,969
lesbischen#30,179

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lesbisch" and "lesbischen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlɛsbɪʃ] versus [ˈlɛsbɪʃn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lesbisch" or "lesbischen"?
"lesbisch" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,969 in our German list, against #30,179 for "lesbischen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lesbisch vs lesbischen

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 “lesbisch” 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