Which to use
“öffentlich” and “öffentlichem” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,649
- “öffentlich” frequency rank
- #25,856
- “öffentlichem” frequency rank
- 27505
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | öffentlich | öffentlichem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | so, dass es jeder benutzen darf | Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs öffentlich |
Where the eye mixes öffentlich and öffentlichem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. öffentlich runs 10 letters (VCCVCCCVCC) against öffentlichem's 12 (VCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: öffentlich vs öffentlichem
A purely visual mix-up. öffentlich ([ˈœfn̩tlɪç]) and öffentlichem ([ˈœfn̩tlɪçm̩]) 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) - “öffentlich” sits inside “öffentlichem”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27505, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
öffentlich is recorded at frequency rank #1,649, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈœfn̩tlɪç]. öffentlichem is at rank #25,856, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈœfn̩tlɪçm̩].
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 27505, this pair ranks #1,800,697 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of öffentlich vs öffentlichem
Shared letters: cefhilntö. Private to "öffentlich": -. Private to "öffentlichem": m.
"öffentlich" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCC · "öffentlichem" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "öffentlich" and "öffentlichem" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "öffentlich" vs "öffentlichem" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "öffentlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "öffentlichem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,800,697 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "öffentlich" and "öffentlichem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "öffentlichem vs öffentliches". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,800,697 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.