Which to use
“schädliche” is an adjective and “Schädlinge” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,504
- “schädliche” frequency rank
- #31,784
- “Schädlinge” frequency rank
- 56288
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schädliche | Schädlinge |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schädlich | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Schädling |
Where the eye mixes schädliche and Schädlinge
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. schädliche and Schädlinge follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCVCCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between schädliche and Schädlinge
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schädliche is [ˈʃɛːtlɪçə] while Schädlinge is [ˈʃɛːtlɪŋə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56288, 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]. Schädlinge is at rank #31,784, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃɛːtlɪŋə].
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 56288, this pair ranks #946,069 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schädliche vs Schädlinge
Shared letters: cdehilsä. Private to "schädliche": -. Private to "Schädlinge": gn.
"schädliche" · 10 letters · shape CCCVCCVCCV · "Schädlinge" · 10 letters · shape CCCVCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schädliche" and "Schädlinge" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "schädliche" or "Schädlinge"?
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 "Schädlinge" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #946,069 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schädliche" and "Schädlinge" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schädliche vs Schliche". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #946,069 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.