Which to use
“nötig” is an adjective and “nötigen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,364
- “nötig” frequency rank
- #5,990
- “nötigen” frequency rank
- 7354
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nötig | nötigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | dringend erforderlich, nicht entbehrlich | jemanden durch Androhung oder Ausübung von Gewalt zu etwas zwingen |
Where the eye mixes nötig and nötigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. nötig runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against nötigen's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between nötig and nötigen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nötig is [ˈnøːtɪç] while nötigen is [ˈnøːtɪɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “nötig” sits inside “nötigen”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7354, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nötig is recorded at frequency rank #1,364, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnøːtɪç]. nötigen is at rank #5,990, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈnøːtɪɡn̩].
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 7354, this pair ranks #1,988,457 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nötig vs nötigen
Shared letters: gintö. Private to "nötig": -. Private to "nötigen": e.
"nötig" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "nötigen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nötig" for "nötigen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "nötig" or "nötigen"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nötig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nötigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,988,457 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nötig" and "nötigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nötigen vs nötiger". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,988,457 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.