Which to use
“nördlich” and “nördlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,634
- “nördlich” frequency rank
- #6,457
- “nördlichen” frequency rank
- 12091
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nördlich | nördlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | auf den Norden, auf Nord bezogen, in der Richtung des Nordens | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs nördlich |
Where the eye mixes nördlich and nördlichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. nördlich runs 8 letters (CVCCCVCC) against nördlichen's 10 (CVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between nördlich and nördlichen
A purely visual mix-up. nördlich ([ˈnœʁtlɪç]) and nördlichen ([ˈnœʁtlɪçn̩]) 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) - “nördlich” sits inside “nördlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12091, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nördlich is recorded at frequency rank #5,634, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnœʁtlɪç]. nördlichen is at rank #6,457, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈnœʁtlɪçn̩].
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 12091, this pair ranks #1,966,230 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nördlich vs nördlichen
Shared letters: cdhilnrö. Private to "nördlich": -. Private to "nördlichen": e.
"nördlich" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC · "nördlichen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nördlich" for "nördlichen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "nördlich" or "nördlichen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "nördlich" and "nördlichen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "nördlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nördlichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,966,230 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nördlich" and "nördlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nördlichen vs nördlichsten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,966,230 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.