Which to use
“persönliche” and “persönlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,035
- “persönliche” frequency rank
- #2,214
- “persönlichen” frequency rank
- 4249
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | persönliche | persönlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs persönlich | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs persönlich |
Where the eye mixes persönliche and persönlichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. persönliche runs 11 letters (CVCCVCCVCCV) against persönlichen's 12 (CVCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses persönliche with persönlichen
A purely visual mix-up. persönliche ([pɛʁˈzøːnlɪçə]) and persönlichen ([pɛʁˈzøːnlɪçn̩]) 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) - “persönliche” sits inside “persönlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4249, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
persönliche is recorded at frequency rank #2,035, classified as anadj, pronounced [pɛʁˈzøːnlɪçə]. persönlichen is at rank #2,214, tagged as anadj, pronounced [pɛʁˈzøːnlɪçn̩].
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 4249, this pair ranks #1,998,181 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of persönliche vs persönlichen
Shared letters: cehilnprsö. Private to "persönliche": -. Private to "persönlichen": -.
"persönliche" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCV · "persönlichen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "persönliche" and "persönlichen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "persönliche" vs "persönlichen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "persönliche" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "persönlichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,998,181 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "persönliche" and "persönlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "persönlichem vs persönlichen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,998,181 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.