Which to use
“schuldig” and “schuldigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,553
- “schuldig” frequency rank
- #17,404
- “schuldigen” frequency rank
- 21957
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schuldig | schuldigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | für etwas die Schuld tragend | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs schuldig |
Where the eye mixes schuldig and schuldigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. schuldig runs 8 letters (CCCVCCVC) against schuldigen's 10 (CCCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: schuldig vs schuldigen
A purely visual mix-up. schuldig ([ˈʃʊldɪç]) and schuldigen ([ˈʃʊldɪɡn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “schuldig” sits inside “schuldigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21957, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schuldig is recorded at frequency rank #4,553, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃʊldɪç]. schuldigen is at rank #17,404, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃʊldɪɡn̩].
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 21957, this pair ranks #1,880,124 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schuldig vs schuldigen
Shared letters: cdghilsu. Private to "schuldig": -. Private to "schuldigen": en.
"schuldig" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC · "schuldigen" · 10 letters · shape CCCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schuldig ← cshuldig · scchuldig · schhuldig · schludig · schudlig · schulddig · schuldgi · schuldigg
- schuldigen ← cshuldigen · scchuldigen · schhuldigen · schludigen · schudligen · schulddigen · schuldgien · schuldiegn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schuldig" for "schuldigen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "schuldig" or "schuldigen"?
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 "schuldig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schuldigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,880,124 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schuldig" and "schuldigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schulde vs schuldig". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,880,124 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.