möglichevsmöglichstWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mögliche is a adjective, möglichst is an adverb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mögliche” is an adjective and “möglichst” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,311
“mögliche” frequency rank
#1,303
“möglichst” frequency rank
3614
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mögliche möglichst
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs möglich so gut, so schnell, so groß und Ähnliches sich etwas einrichten/machen lässt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mögliche and möglichst apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
mögliche
9 ch
möglichst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mögliche is [ˈmøːklɪçə] while möglichst is [ˈmøːklɪçst]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3614, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mögliche is recorded at frequency rank #2,311, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈmøːklɪçə]. 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 3614, this pair ranks #1,999,788 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mögliche vs möglichst

Shared letters: cghilmö. Private to "mögliche": e. Private to "möglichst": st.

"mögliche" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV  ·  "möglichst" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCCC

Frequency comparison

mögliche#2,311
möglichst#1,303

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mögliche" and "möglichst" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mögliche" is an adjective and "möglichst" an adverb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mögliche" or "möglichst"?
"möglichst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,303 in our German list, against #2,311 for "mögliche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mögliche vs möglichst

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “mögliche”; for an adverb, it's “möglichst”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mögliche” 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