Which to use
“nordöstlich” and “nordöstlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,115
- “nordöstlich” frequency rank
- #36,528
- “nordöstlichen” frequency rank
- 62643
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nordöstlich | nordöstlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | auf den Nordosten, auf Nordost bezogen, in der Richtung des Nordostens | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs nordöstlich |
Where the eye mixes nordöstlich and nordöstlichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. nordöstlich runs 11 letters (CVCCVCCCVCC) against nordöstlichen's 13 (CVCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: nordöstlich vs nordöstlichen
A purely visual mix-up. nordöstlich ([nɔʁtˈʔœstlɪç]) and nordöstlichen ([nɔʁtˈʔœstlɪçn̩]) 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) - “nordöstlich” sits inside “nordöstlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62643, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nordöstlich is recorded at frequency rank #26,115, classified as anadj, pronounced [nɔʁtˈʔœstlɪç]. nordöstlichen is at rank #36,528, tagged as anadj, pronounced [nɔʁtˈʔœstlɪçn̩].
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 62643, this pair ranks #705,337 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nordöstlich vs nordöstlichen
Shared letters: cdhilnorstö. Private to "nordöstlich": -. Private to "nordöstlichen": e.
"nordöstlich" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCC · "nordöstlichen" · 13 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "nordöstlich" and "nordöstlichen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "nordöstlich" or "nordöstlichen" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "nordöstlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nordöstlichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #705,337 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nordöstlich" and "nordöstlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nordöstlichen vs nordwestlichen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #705,337 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.