notwendigvsnotwendigeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“notwendig” and “notwendige” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,563
“notwendig” frequency rank
#4,919
“notwendige” frequency rank
6482
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature notwendig notwendige
Definition unter allen Umständen erforderlich Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs notwendig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set notwendig and notwendige apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
notwendig
10 ch
notwendige

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. notwendig ([ˈnoːtvɛndɪç]) and notwendige ([ˈnoːtvɛndɪɡə]) 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) - “notwendig” sits inside “notwendige”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6482, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

notwendig is recorded at frequency rank #1,563, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnoːtvɛndɪç]. notwendige is at rank #4,919, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈnoːtvɛndɪɡə].

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 6482, this pair ranks #1,991,494 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of notwendig vs notwendige

Shared letters: deginotw. Private to "notwendig": -. Private to "notwendige": -.

"notwendig" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "notwendige" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • notwendignnotwendig · notewndig · nottwendig · notwednig · notwenddig · notwendgi · notwendigg · notwenidg
  • notwendigennotwendige · notewndige · nottwendige · notwednige · notwenddige · notwendgie · notwendieg · notwendigge

Frequency comparison

notwendig#1,563
notwendige#4,919

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "notwendig" and "notwendige" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnoːtvɛndɪç] versus [ˈnoːtvɛndɪɡə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "notwendig" or "notwendige"?
"notwendig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,563 in our German list, against #4,919 for "notwendige". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering notwendig vs notwendige

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “notwendig” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list