Which to use
“öffentlich” and “öffentlicher” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,649
- “öffentlich” frequency rank
- #6,032
- “öffentlicher” frequency rank
- 7681
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | öffentlich | öffentlicher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | so, dass es jeder benutzen darf | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs öffentlich |
Where the eye mixes öffentlich and öffentlicher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. öffentlich runs 10 letters (VCCVCCCVCC) against öffentlicher's 12 (VCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: öffentlich vs öffentlicher
A purely visual mix-up. öffentlich ([ˈœfn̩tlɪç]) and öffentlicher ([ˈœfn̩tlɪçɐ]) 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 “öffentlicher”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7681, 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]. öffentlicher is at rank #6,032, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈœfn̩tlɪçɐ].
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 7681, this pair ranks #1,987,303 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of öffentlich vs öffentlicher
Shared letters: cefhilntö. Private to "öffentlich": -. Private to "öffentlicher": r.
"öffentlich" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCC · "öffentlicher" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "öffentlich" for "öffentlicher" ever safe?
Which is more common, "öffentlich" or "öffentlicher"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "öffentlich" and "öffentlicher" 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 "öffentlicher" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,987,303 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "öffentlich" and "öffentlicher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "öffentlichem vs öffentlicher". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,987,303 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.