Which to use
“sämtliche” and “sämtlicher” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,618
- “sämtliche” frequency rank
- #13,247
- “sämtlicher” frequency rank
- 15865
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sämtliche | sämtlicher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs sämtlich | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs sämtlich |
Where the eye mixes sämtliche and sämtlicher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. sämtliche runs 9 letters (CVCCCVCCV) 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 sämtliche with sämtlicher
A purely visual mix-up. sämtliche ([ˈzɛmtlɪçə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “sämtliche” sits inside “sämtlicher”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15865, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sämtliche is recorded at frequency rank #2,618, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɛmtlɪçə]. 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 15865, this pair ranks #1,940,530 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sämtliche vs sämtlicher
Shared letters: cehilmstä. Private to "sämtliche": -. Private to "sämtlicher": r.
"sämtliche" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCV · "sämtlicher" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sämtliche" for "sämtlicher" ever safe?
Which is more common, "sämtliche" or "sämtlicher"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sämtliche" 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 #1,940,530 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sämtliche" and "sämtlicher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sämtlich vs sämtlicher". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,940,530 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.