Which to use
“schädlich” and “schädlicher” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,167
- “schädlich” frequency rank
- #38,400
- “schädlicher” frequency rank
- 50567
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schädlich | schädlicher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zur Schädigung führend, sich nachteilig auswirkend, Schaden verursachend | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schädlich |
Where the eye mixes schädlich and schädlicher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. schädlich runs 9 letters (CCCVCCVCC) against schädlicher's 11 (CCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: schädlich vs schädlicher
A purely visual mix-up. schädlich ([ˈʃɛːtlɪç]) and schädlicher ([ˈʃɛːtlɪçɐ]) 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) - “schädlich” sits inside “schädlicher”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50567, 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]. schädlicher is at rank #38,400, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃɛːtlɪçɐ].
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 50567, this pair ranks #1,168,751 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schädlich vs schädlicher
Shared letters: cdhilsä. Private to "schädlich": -. Private to "schädlicher": er.
"schädlich" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCVCC · "schädlicher" · 11 letters · shape CCCVCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schädlich" and "schädlicher" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "schädlich" vs "schädlicher" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "schädlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schädlicher" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,168,751 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schädlich" and "schädlicher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schädlichen vs schädlicher". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,168,751 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.