Which to use
“öffentlich” and “öffentlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,649
- “öffentlich” frequency rank
- #1,004
- “öffentlichen” frequency rank
- 2653
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | öffentlich | öffentlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | so, dass es jeder benutzen darf | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs öffentlich |
Where the eye mixes öffentlich and öffentlichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. öffentlich runs 10 letters (VCCVCCCVCC) against öffentlichen's 12 (VCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between öffentlich and öffentlichen
A purely visual mix-up. öffentlich ([ˈœfn̩tlɪç]) and öffentlichen ([ˈœfn̩tlɪçn̩]) 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 “öffentlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2653, 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]. öffentlichen is at rank #1,004, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈœfn̩tlɪçn̩].
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 2653, this pair ranks #2,001,880 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of öffentlich vs öffentlichen
Shared letters: cefhilntö. Private to "öffentlich": -. Private to "öffentlichen": -.
"öffentlich" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCC · "öffentlichen" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "öffentlich" and "öffentlichen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "öffentlich" vs "öffentlichen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "öffentlich" and "öffentlichen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "öffentlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "öffentlichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,001,880 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "öffentlich" and "öffentlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "öffentlich vs öffentlichem". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #2,001,880 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.