öffentlichemvsöffentlichenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#25,856
“öffentlichem” frequency rank
#1,004
“öffentlichen” frequency rank
26860
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature öffentlichem öffentlichen
Definition Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs öffentlich Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs öffentlich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set öffentlichem and öffentlichen apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
öffentlichem
12 ch
öffentlichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. öffentlichem ([ˈœfn̩tlɪçm̩]) 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 a single letter - m in “öffentlichem” becomes n in “öffentlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26860, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

öffentlichem is recorded at frequency rank #25,856, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈœfn̩tlɪçm̩]. 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 26860, this pair ranks #1,811,244 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of öffentlichem vs öffentlichen

Shared letters: cefhilntö. Private to "öffentlichem": m. Private to "öffentlichen": -.

"öffentlichem" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC  ·  "öffentlichen" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

öffentlichem#25,856
öffentlichen#1,004

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "öffentlichem" and "öffentlichen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈœfn̩tlɪçm̩] versus [ˈœfn̩tlɪçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "öffentlichem" or "öffentlichen"?
"öffentlichen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,004 in our German list, against #25,856 for "öffentlichem". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering öffentlichem vs öffentlichen

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 “öffentlichem” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list