NeugierdevsneugierigeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Neugierde is a noun, neugierige is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Neugierde” is a noun and “neugierige” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#19,656
“Neugierde” frequency rank
#26,544
“neugierige” frequency rank
46200
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Neugierde neugierige
Definition der Wunsch oder Drang, von Dingen zu erfahren, die einem noch unbekannt sind Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs neugierig

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
Neugierde
10 ch
neugierige

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Neugierde is [ˈnɔɪ̯ˌɡiːɐ̯də] while neugierige is [ˈnɔɪ̯ˌɡiːʁɪɡə]. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46200, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Neugierde is recorded at frequency rank #19,656, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɔɪ̯ˌɡiːɐ̯də]. neugierige is at rank #26,544, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɔɪ̯ˌɡiːʁɪɡə].

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 46200, this pair ranks #1,327,127 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Neugierde vs neugierige

Shared letters: eginru. Private to "Neugierde": d. Private to "neugierige": -.

"Neugierde" · 9 letters · shape CVVCVVCCV  ·  "neugierige" · 10 letters · shape CVVCVVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Neugierdeenugierde · neguierde · neugeirde · neuggierde · neugiedre · neugierdde · neugiered · neugierrde
  • neugierigeenugierige · neguierige · neugeirige · neuggierige · neugieirge · neugiergie · neugierieg · neugierigge

Frequency comparison

Neugierde#19,656
neugierige#26,544

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Neugierde" and "neugierige" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Neugierde" is a noun and "neugierige" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Neugierde" or "neugierige"?
"Neugierde" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,656 in our German list, against #26,544 for "neugierige". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Neugierde vs neugierige

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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