Which to use
“öffentlicher” and “ordentlicher” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,032
- “öffentlicher” frequency rank
- #16,793
- “ordentlicher” frequency rank
- 22825
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | öffentlicher | ordentlicher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs öffentlich | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs ordentlich |
Where the eye mixes öffentlicher and ordentlicher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. öffentlicher and ordentlicher follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: öffentlicher vs ordentlicher
A purely visual mix-up. öffentlicher ([ˈœfn̩tlɪçɐ]) and ordentlicher ([ˈɔʁdn̩tlɪçɐ]) 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 22825, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
öffentlicher is recorded at frequency rank #6,032, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈœfn̩tlɪçɐ]. ordentlicher is at rank #16,793, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɔʁdn̩tlɪçɐ].
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 22825, this pair ranks #1,869,266 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of öffentlicher vs ordentlicher
Shared letters: cehilnrt. Private to "öffentlicher": fö. Private to "ordentlicher": do.
"öffentlicher" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC · "ordentlicher" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ordentlicher ← odrentlicher · orddentlicher · ordenlticher · ordenntlicher · ordentilcher · ordentlciher · ordentliccher · ordentlicehr
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "öffentlicher" and "ordentlicher" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "öffentlicher" or "ordentlicher" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "öffentlicher" and "ordentlicher" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "öffentlicher" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ordentlicher" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,869,266 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "öffentlicher" and "ordentlicher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "öffentlichem vs öffentlicher". 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 #1,869,266 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.