Which to use
“möglichen” is an adjective and “möglichst” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,075
- “möglichen” frequency rank
- #1,303
- “möglichst” frequency rank
- 3378
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | möglichen | möglichst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum und Neutrum, | so gut, so schnell, so groß und Ähnliches sich etwas einrichten/machen lässt |
Where the eye mixes möglichen and möglichst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. möglichen (CVCCVCCVC) and möglichst (CVCCVCCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: möglichen vs möglichst
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: möglichen is [ˈmøːklɪçn̩] while möglichst is [ˈmøːklɪçst]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3378, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
möglichen is recorded at frequency rank #2,075, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈmøːklɪçn̩]. 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 3378, this pair ranks #2,000,346 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of möglichen vs möglichst
Shared letters: cghilmö. Private to "möglichen": en. Private to "möglichst": st.
"möglichen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "möglichst" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "möglichen" and "möglichst" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "möglichen" or "möglichst"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "möglichen" 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 #2,000,346 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "möglichen" and "möglichst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "möglichen vs mögliches". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #2,000,346 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.