Which to use
“schädlich” and “schädliche” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,167
- “schädlich” frequency rank
- #24,504
- “schädliche” frequency rank
- 36671
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schädlich | schädliche |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zur Schädigung führend, sich nachteilig auswirkend, Schaden verursachend | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schädlich |
Where the eye mixes schädlich and schädliche
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. schädlich runs 9 letters (CCCVCCVCC) against schädliche's 10 (CCCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: schädlich vs schädliche
A purely visual mix-up. schädlich ([ˈʃɛːtlɪç]) and schädliche ([ˈʃɛːtlɪçə]) 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) - “schädlich” sits inside “schädliche”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36671, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schädlich is recorded at frequency rank #12,167, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃɛːtlɪç]. schädliche is at rank #24,504, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃɛːtlɪçə].
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 36671, this pair ranks #1,609,636 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schädlich vs schädliche
Shared letters: cdhilsä. Private to "schädlich": -. Private to "schädliche": e.
"schädlich" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCVCC · "schädliche" · 10 letters · shape CCCVCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schädlich" and "schädliche" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "schädlich" or "schädliche" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schädlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schädliche" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,609,636 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schädlich" and "schädliche" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schädliche vs Schliche". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,609,636 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.