sicherlichvssichtlichWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: sicherlich is a adverb, sichtlich is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sicherlich” is an adverb and “sichtlich” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,787
“sicherlich” frequency rank
#12,589
“sichtlich” frequency rank
14376
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sicherlich sichtlich
Definition mit ziemlicher Sicherheit; oftmals eine gewisse Beeinschränkung beinhaltend, die zum Beispiel mit aber angeschlossen wird deutlich, erkennbar, fühlbar

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sicherlich and sichtlich apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
sicherlich
9 ch
sichtlich

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sicherlich is [ˈzɪçɐˌlɪç] while sichtlich is [ˈzɪçtlɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14376, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sicherlich is recorded at frequency rank #1,787, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈzɪçɐˌlɪç]. sichtlich is at rank #12,589, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɪçtlɪç].

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 14376, this pair ranks #1,951,629 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sicherlich vs sichtlich

Shared letters: chils. Private to "sicherlich": er. Private to "sichtlich": t.

"sicherlich" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC  ·  "sichtlich" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sicherlichischerlich · sciherlich · siccherlich · sicehrlich · sichelrich · sicherilch · sicherlcih · sicherlicch
  • sichtlichischtlich · scihtlich · sicchtlich · sichhtlich · sichltich · sichtilch · sichtlcih · sichtlicch

Frequency comparison

sicherlich#1,787
sichtlich#12,589

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sicherlich" and "sichtlich" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sicherlich" is an adverb and "sichtlich" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sicherlich" or "sichtlich"?
"sicherlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,787 in our German list, against #12,589 for "sichtlich". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sicherlich vs sichtlich

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “sicherlich”; for an adjective, it's “sichtlich”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sicherlich” 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