Which to use
“sämtlich” and “sämtlicher” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,487
- “sämtlich” frequency rank
- #13,247
- “sämtlicher” frequency rank
- 54734
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sämtlich | sämtlicher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | drückt aus, dass alle von einer bestimmten Gruppe gemeint sind | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs sämtlich |
Where the eye mixes sämtlich and sämtlicher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. sämtlich runs 8 letters (CVCCCVCC) against sämtlicher's 10 (CVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses sämtlich with sämtlicher
A purely visual mix-up. sämtlich ([ˈzɛmtlɪç]) and sämtlicher ([ˈzɛmtlɪçɐ]) 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) - “sämtlich” sits inside “sämtlicher”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54734, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sämtlich is recorded at frequency rank #41,487, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɛmtlɪç]. sämtlicher is at rank #13,247, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɛmtlɪçɐ].
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 54734, this pair ranks #1,007,215 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sämtlich vs sämtlicher
Shared letters: chilmstä. Private to "sämtlich": -. Private to "sämtlicher": er.
"sämtlich" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC · "sämtlicher" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sämtlich" and "sämtlicher" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sämtlich" or "sämtlicher"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "sämtlich" and "sämtlicher" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "sämtlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sämtlicher" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,007,215 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sämtlich" and "sämtlicher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sämtlich vs sämtlichen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,007,215 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.