radikalvsRadikalenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: radikal is a adjective, Radikalen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“radikal” is an adjective and “Radikalen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#9,074
“radikal” frequency rank
#8,446
“Radikalen” frequency rank
17520
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature radikal Radikalen
Definition im Denken und oder Handeln in besonderem Maße von der Norm abweichend Dativ Plural des Substantivs Radikal

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set radikal and Radikalen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
radikal
9 ch
Radikalen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: radikal is [ʁadiˈkaːl] while Radikalen is [ʁadiˈkaːlən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “radikal” sits inside “Radikalen”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17520, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

radikal is recorded at frequency rank #9,074, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʁadiˈkaːl]. Radikalen is at rank #8,446, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʁadiˈkaːlən].

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 17520, this pair ranks #1,926,664 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of radikal vs Radikalen

Shared letters: adiklr. Private to "radikal": -. Private to "Radikalen": en.

"radikal" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "Radikalen" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • radikalardikal · raddikal · radiakl · radikall · radikkal · radikla · radkial · raidkal
  • Radikalenardikalen · raddikalen · radiaklen · radikaeln · radikalenn · radikallen · radikalne · radikkalen

Frequency comparison

radikal#9,074
Radikalen#8,446

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "radikal" and "Radikalen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "radikal" is an adjective and "Radikalen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "radikal" or "Radikalen"?
"Radikalen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,446 in our German list, against #9,074 for "radikal". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering radikal vs Radikalen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “radikal”; for a noun, it's “Radikalen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “radikal” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list