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 eye mixes schädlichen and schädlicher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. schädlichen and schädlicher follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCVCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses schädlichen with schädlicher
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schädlichen" and "schädlicher" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "schädlichen" vs "schädlicher" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "schädlichen" 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 #695,895 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schädlichen" and "schädlicher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schädlichen vs Schälchen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #695,895 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.