Which to use
“Sorgfalt” is a noun and “sorgfältig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,791
- “Sorgfalt” frequency rank
- #6,594
- “sorgfältig” frequency rank
- 19385
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Sorgfalt | sorgfältig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | gewissenhaftes, wohldurchdachtes Vorgehen | mit großer Achtsamkeit und Sorgfalt |
Where the eye mixes Sorgfalt and sorgfältig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Sorgfalt runs 8 letters (CVCCCVCC) against sorgfältig's 10 (CVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Sorgfalt and sorgfältig
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Sorgfalt is [ˈzɔʁkfalt] while sorgfältig is [ˈzɔʁkfɛltɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19385, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Sorgfalt is recorded at frequency rank #12,791, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈzɔʁkfalt]. sorgfältig is at rank #6,594, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɔʁkfɛltɪç].
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 19385, this pair ranks #1,908,866 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Sorgfalt vs sorgfältig
Shared letters: fglorst. Private to "Sorgfalt": a. Private to "sorgfältig": iä.
"Sorgfalt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC · "sorgfältig" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Sorgfalt ← osrgfalt · sogrfalt · sorfgalt · sorgaflt · sorgfallt · sorgfaltt · sorgfatl · sorgffalt
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Sorgfalt" for "sorgfältig" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Sorgfalt" vs "sorgfältig" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Sorgfalt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sorgfältig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,908,866 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Sorgfalt" and "sorgfältig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sorgfältig vs sorgfältiger". 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 #1,908,866 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.