nachträglichvsnachträglichenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,870
“nachträglich” frequency rank
#40,103
“nachträglichen” frequency rank
45973
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nachträglich nachträglichen
Definition nach einem versäumten Termin Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs nachträglich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nachträglich and nachträglichen apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
nachträglich
14 ch
nachträglichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. nachträglich ([ˈnaːxˌtʁɛːklɪç]) and nachträglichen ([ˈnaːxˌtʁɛːklɪçn̩]) 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) - “nachträglich” sits inside “nachträglichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45973, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nachträglich is recorded at frequency rank #5,870, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnaːxˌtʁɛːklɪç]. nachträglichen is at rank #40,103, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈnaːxˌtʁɛːklɪçn̩].

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 45973, this pair ranks #1,334,862 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nachträglich vs nachträglichen

Shared letters: acghilnrtä. Private to "nachträglich": -. Private to "nachträglichen": e.

"nachträglich" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVCC  ·  "nachträglichen" · 14 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

nachträglich#5,870
nachträglichen#40,103

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nachträglich" and "nachträglichen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnaːxˌtʁɛːklɪç] versus [ˈnaːxˌtʁɛːklɪçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "nachträglich" or "nachträglichen"?
"nachträglich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,870 in our German list, against #40,103 for "nachträglichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nachträglich vs nachträglichen

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 “nachträglich” 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