Which to use
“nördliche” and “nördlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,666
- “nördliche” frequency rank
- #6,457
- “nördlichen” frequency rank
- 24123
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nördliche | nördlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs nördlich | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs nördlich |
Where the eye mixes nördliche and nördlichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. nördliche runs 9 letters (CVCCCVCCV) against nördlichen's 10 (CVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: nördliche vs nördlichen
A purely visual mix-up. nördliche ([ˈnœʁtlɪçə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “nördliche” sits inside “nördlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24123, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nördliche is recorded at frequency rank #17,666, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnœʁtlɪçə]. 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 24123, this pair ranks #1,852,063 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nördliche vs nördlichen
Shared letters: cdehilnrö. Private to "nördliche": -. Private to "nördlichen": -.
"nördliche" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCV · "nördlichen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nördliche" for "nördlichen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "nördliche" or "nördlichen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "nördliche" 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 #1,852,063 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nördliche" and "nördlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nördlichen vs nördlichsten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,852,063 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.