sensibelvssensibleWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,823
“sensibel” frequency rank
#19,037
“sensible” frequency rank
35860
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sensibel sensible
Definition leicht zu beschädigen Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs sensibel

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sensibel and sensible apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
sensibel
8 ch
sensible

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sensibel ([zɛnˈziːbl̩]) and sensible ([zɛnˈziːblə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ only by swapping two adjacent letters (el ↔ le) - a transposition the eye reads straight past. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35860, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sensibel is recorded at frequency rank #16,823, classified as anadj, pronounced [zɛnˈziːbl̩]. sensible is at rank #19,037, tagged as anadj, pronounced [zɛnˈziːblə].

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 35860, this pair ranks #1,629,787 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sensibel vs sensible

Shared letters: beilns. Private to "sensibel": -. Private to "sensible": -.

"sensibel" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "sensible" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sensibelesnsibel · senisbel · sennsibel · sensbiel · sensibbel · sensibell · sensiebl · senssibel
  • sensibleesnsible · senisble · sennsible · sensbile · sensibble · sensiblle · sensilbe · senssible

Frequency comparison

sensibel#16,823
sensible#19,037

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sensibel" and "sensible" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([zɛnˈziːbl̩] versus [zɛnˈziːblə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sensibel" or "sensible"?
"sensibel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,823 in our German list, against #19,037 for "sensible". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sensibel vs sensible

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 “sensibel” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list