Which to use
“öffentlich” and “ordentlich” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,649
- “öffentlich” frequency rank
- #2,850
- “ordentlich” frequency rank
- 4499
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | öffentlich | ordentlich |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | so, dass es jeder benutzen darf | aufgeräumt und geordnet |
Where the eye mixes öffentlich and ordentlich
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. öffentlich and ordentlich follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: öffentlich vs ordentlich
A purely visual mix-up. öffentlich ([ˈœfn̩tlɪç]) and ordentlich ([ˈɔʁdn̩tlɪç]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4499, 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]. ordentlich is at rank #2,850, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɔʁdn̩tlɪç].
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 4499, this pair ranks #1,997,544 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of öffentlich vs ordentlich
Shared letters: cehilnt. Private to "öffentlich": fö. Private to "ordentlich": dor.
"öffentlich" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCC · "ordentlich" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ordentlich ← odrentlich · orddentlich · ordenltich · ordenntlich · ordentilch · ordentlcih · ordentlicch · ordentlichh
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "öffentlich" for "ordentlich" ever safe?
Which is more common, "öffentlich" or "ordentlich"?
What to do next
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 "ordentlich" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,997,544 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "öffentlich" and "ordentlich" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "öffentlich vs öffentlichem". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,997,544 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.