problematischvsproblematischenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,096
“problematisch” frequency rank
#30,243
“problematischen” frequency rank
37339
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature problematisch problematischen
Definition mit Problemen verbunden; so, dass Schwierigkeiten auftreten können Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs problematisch

Where the eye mixes problematisch and problematischen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 13 letters in sequence. problematisch runs 13 letters (CCVCCVCVCVCCC) against problematischen's 15 (CCVCCVCVCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

13 ch
problematisch
15 ch
problematischen

Why the eye confuses problematisch with problematischen

A purely visual mix-up. problematisch ([pʁobleˈmaːtɪʃ]) and problematischen ([pʁobleˈmaːtɪʃn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “problematisch” sits inside “problematischen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37339, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

problematisch is recorded at frequency rank #7,096, classified as anadj, pronounced [pʁobleˈmaːtɪʃ]. problematischen is at rank #30,243, tagged as anadj, pronounced [pʁobleˈmaːtɪʃn̩].

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 37339, this pair ranks #1,592,809 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of problematisch vs problematischen

Shared letters: abcehilmoprst. Private to "problematisch": -. Private to "problematischen": n.

"problematisch" · 13 letters · shape CCVCCVCVCVCCC  ·  "problematischen" · 15 letters · shape CCVCCVCVCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • problematisch ← porblematisch · pproblematisch · prbolematisch · probblematisch · probelmatisch · probleamtisch · problemaitsch · problematicsh
  • problematischen ← porblematischen · pproblematischen · prbolematischen · probblematischen · probelmatischen · probleamtischen · problemaitschen · problematicshen

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "problematisch" for "problematischen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([pʁobleˈmaːtɪʃ] versus [pʁobleˈmaːtɪʃn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "problematisch" vs "problematischen" - which ranks higher?
"problematisch" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,096 in our German list, against #30,243 for "problematischen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "problematisch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "problematischen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,592,809 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "problematisch" and "problematischen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "problematischen vs problematischer". 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 #1,592,809 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