Which to use
“schädliche” and “schädlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,504
- “schädliche” frequency rank
- #24,505
- “schädlichen” frequency rank
- 49009
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schädliche | schädlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schädlich | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schädlich |
Where the eye mixes schädliche and schädlichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. schädliche runs 10 letters (CCCVCCVCCV) against schädlichen's 11 (CCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between schädliche and schädlichen
A purely visual mix-up. schädliche ([ˈʃɛːtlɪçə]) and schädlichen ([ˈʃɛːtlɪçn̩]) 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) - “schädliche” sits inside “schädlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49009, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schädliche is recorded at frequency rank #24,504, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃɛːtlɪçə]. schädlichen is at rank #24,505, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃɛːtlɪçn̩].
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 49009, this pair ranks #1,227,434 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schädliche vs schädlichen
Shared letters: cdehilsä. Private to "schädliche": -. Private to "schädlichen": n.
"schädliche" · 10 letters · shape CCCVCCVCCV · "schädlichen" · 11 letters · shape CCCVCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schädliche" for "schädlichen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "schädliche" or "schädlichen"?
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 "schädliche" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schädlichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,227,434 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schädliche" and "schädlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schädlichen vs Schälchen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,227,434 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.