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 eye mixes schädliche and schädlicher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. schädliche runs 10 letters (CCCVCCVCCV) against schädlicher's 11 (CCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: schädliche vs schädlicher
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schädliche" and "schädlicher" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "schädliche" or "schädlicher"?
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 "schädliche" 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 #695,934 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schädliche" and "schädlicher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schädliche vs Schliche". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #695,934 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.