Which to use
“nordwestlich” and “nordwestlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,555
- “nordwestlich” frequency rank
- #35,358
- “nordwestlichen” frequency rank
- 61913
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nordwestlich | nordwestlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | auf den Nordwesten, auf Nordwest bezogen, in der Richtung des Nordwestens | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs nordwestlich |
Where the eye mixes nordwestlich and nordwestlichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. nordwestlich runs 12 letters (CVCCCVCCCVCC) against nordwestlichen's 14 (CVCCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses nordwestlich with nordwestlichen
A purely visual mix-up. nordwestlich ([nɔʁtˈvɛstlɪç]) and nordwestlichen ([nɔʁtˈvɛstlɪçn̩]) 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) - “nordwestlich” sits inside “nordwestlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61913, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nordwestlich is recorded at frequency rank #26,555, classified as anadj, pronounced [nɔʁtˈvɛstlɪç]. nordwestlichen is at rank #35,358, tagged as anadj, pronounced [nɔʁtˈvɛstlɪçn̩].
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 61913, this pair ranks #732,081 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nordwestlich vs nordwestlichen
Shared letters: cdehilnorstw. Private to "nordwestlich": -. Private to "nordwestlichen": -.
"nordwestlich" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCCCVCC · "nordwestlichen" · 14 letters · shape CVCCCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- nordwestlich ← nnordwestlich · nodrwestlich · norddwestlich · nordewstlich · nordwesltich · nordwesstlich · nordwestilch · nordwestlcih
- nordwestlichen ← nnordwestlichen · nodrwestlichen · norddwestlichen · nordewstlichen · nordwesltichen · nordwesstlichen · nordwestilchen · nordwestlcihen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nordwestlich" for "nordwestlichen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "nordwestlich" or "nordwestlichen"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "nordwestlich" and "nordwestlichen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "nordwestlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nordwestlichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #732,081 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nordwestlich" and "nordwestlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nordöstlichen vs nordwestlichen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #732,081 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.