schädlichenvsschädlicherWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,505
“schädlichen” frequency rank
#38,400
“schädlicher” frequency rank
62905
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schädlichen schädlicher
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum 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 schädlichen and schädlicher apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
schädlichen
11 ch
schädlicher

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schädlichen ([ˈʃɛːtlɪçn̩]) 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 a single letter - n in “schädlichen” becomes r in “schädlicher”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62905, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schädlichen is recorded at frequency rank #24,505, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃɛːtlɪçn̩]. 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 62905, this pair ranks #695,895 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schädlichen vs schädlicher

Shared letters: cdehilsä. Private to "schädlichen": n. Private to "schädlicher": r.

"schädlichen" · 11 letters · shape CCCVCCVCCVC  ·  "schädlicher" · 11 letters · shape CCCVCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

schädlichen#24,505
schädlicher#38,400

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schädlichen" and "schädlicher" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃɛːtlɪçn̩] versus [ˈʃɛːtlɪçɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schädlichen" or "schädlicher"?
"schädlichen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,505 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 schädlichen 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 “schädlichen” 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