Which to use
“möglich” is an adjective and “möglichst” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #353
- “möglich” frequency rank
- #1,303
- “möglichst” frequency rank
- 1656
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | möglich | möglichst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | machbar, wenn man es versucht, geht es zu verwirklichen oder zu erreichen | so gut, so schnell, so groß und Ähnliches sich etwas einrichten/machen lässt |
Where the eye mixes möglich and möglichst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. möglich runs 7 letters (CVCCVCC) against möglichst's 9 (CVCCVCCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses möglich with möglichst
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: möglich is [ˈmøːklɪç] while möglichst is [ˈmøːklɪçst]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “möglich” sits inside “möglichst”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1656, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
möglich is recorded at frequency rank #353, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈmøːklɪç]. möglichst is at rank #1,303, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈmøːklɪçst].
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 1656, this pair ranks #2,003,952 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of möglich vs möglichst
Shared letters: cghilmö. Private to "möglich": -. Private to "möglichst": st.
"möglich" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "möglichst" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "möglich" and "möglichst" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "möglich" vs "möglichst" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "möglich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "möglichst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,003,952 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "möglich" and "möglichst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mögliches vs möglichst". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #2,003,952 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.