problematischvsproblematischerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,096
“problematisch” frequency rank
#41,401
“problematischer” frequency rank
48497
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature problematisch problematischer
Definition mit Problemen verbunden; so, dass Schwierigkeiten auftreten können Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs problematisch

Where the eye mixes problematisch and problematischer

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

13 ch
problematisch
15 ch
problematischer

Look-alike desk: problematisch vs problematischer

A purely visual mix-up. problematisch ([pʁobleˈmaːtɪʃ]) and problematischer ([pʁobleˈmaːtɪʃɐ]) 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 “problematischer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48497, 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]. problematischer is at rank #41,401, tagged as anadj, pronounced [pʁobleˈmaːtɪʃɐ].

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 48497, this pair ranks #1,246,438 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of problematisch vs problematischer

Shared letters: abcehilmoprst. Private to "problematisch": -. Private to "problematischer": -.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • problematisch ← porblematisch · pproblematisch · prbolematisch · probblematisch · probelmatisch · probleamtisch · problemaitsch · problematicsh
  • problematischer ← porblematischer · pproblematischer · prbolematischer · probblematischer · probelmatischer · probleamtischer · problemaitscher · problematicsher

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "problematisch" for "problematischer" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([pʁobleˈmaːtɪʃ] versus [pʁobleˈmaːtɪʃɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "problematisch" vs "problematischer" - which ranks higher?
"problematisch" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,096 in our German list, against #41,401 for "problematischer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "problematisch" and "problematischer" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "problematisch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "problematischer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,246,438 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "problematisch" and "problematischer" 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 #1,246,438 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