örtlichvsörtlicheWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#21,143
“örtlich” frequency rank
#8,669
“örtliche” frequency rank
29812
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature örtlich örtliche
Definition auf einen Ort oder eine Region bezogen Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs örtlich

Where the eye mixes örtlich and örtliche

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

7 ch
örtlich
8 ch
örtliche

Why the eye confuses örtlich with örtliche

A purely visual mix-up. örtlich ([ˈœʁtlɪç]) and örtliche ([ˈœʁtlɪçə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “örtlich” sits inside “örtliche”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29812, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

örtlich is recorded at frequency rank #21,143, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈœʁtlɪç]. örtliche is at rank #8,669, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈœʁtlɪçə].

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 29812, this pair ranks #1,759,816 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of örtlich vs örtliche

Shared letters: chilrtö. Private to "örtlich": -. Private to "örtliche": e.

"örtlich" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC  ·  "örtliche" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "örtlich" and "örtliche" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈœʁtlɪç] versus [ˈœʁtlɪçə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "örtlich" or "örtliche" show up more?
"örtliche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,669 in our German list, against #21,143 for "örtlich". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "örtlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "örtliche" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,759,816 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "örtlich" and "örtliche" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "örtlich vs örtlicher". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,759,816 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list