schädlichevsschädlicherWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“schädliche” and “schädlicher” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#24,504
“schädliche” frequency rank
#38,400
“schädlicher” frequency rank
62904
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schädliche schädlicher
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schädlich Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schädlich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schädliche and schädlicher apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
schädliche
11 ch
schädlicher

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schädliche ([ˈʃɛːtlɪçə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “schädliche” sits inside “schädlicher”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62904, 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]. 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 62904, this pair ranks #695,934 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schädliche vs schädlicher

Shared letters: cdehilsä. Private to "schädliche": -. Private to "schädlicher": r.

"schädliche" · 10 letters · shape CCCVCCVCCV  ·  "schädlicher" · 11 letters · shape CCCVCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

schädliche#24,504
schädlicher#38,400

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schädliche" and "schädlicher" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃɛːtlɪçə] versus [ˈʃɛːtlɪçɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schädliche" or "schädlicher"?
"schädliche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,504 in our German list, against #38,400 for "schädlicher". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schädliche vs schädlicher

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schädliche” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list