sorgfältigvssorgfältigeTell them apart

Which to use

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

#6,594
“sorgfältig” frequency rank
#26,174
“sorgfältige” frequency rank
32768
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sorgfältig sorgfältige
Definition mit großer Achtsamkeit und Sorgfalt Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs sorgfältig

Where the eye mixes sorgfältig and sorgfältige

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. sorgfältig runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCCVC) against sorgfältige's 11 (CVCCCVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
sorgfältig
11 ch
sorgfältige

Look-alike desk: sorgfältig vs sorgfältige

A purely visual mix-up. sorgfältig ([ˈzɔʁkfɛltɪç]) and sorgfältige ([ˈzɔʁkfɛltɪɡə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “sorgfältig” sits inside “sorgfältige”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32768, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sorgfältig is recorded at frequency rank #6,594, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɔʁkfɛltɪç]. sorgfältige is at rank #26,174, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɔʁkfɛltɪɡə].

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 32768, this pair ranks #1,700,416 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sorgfältig vs sorgfältige

Shared letters: fgilorstä. Private to "sorgfältig": -. Private to "sorgfältige": e.

"sorgfältig" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "sorgfältige" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sorgfältig" and "sorgfältige" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzɔʁkfɛltɪç] versus [ˈzɔʁkfɛltɪɡə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sorgfältig" or "sorgfältige"?
"sorgfältig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,594 in our German list, against #26,174 for "sorgfältige". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "sorgfältig" and "sorgfältige" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "sorgfältig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "sorgfältige" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,700,416 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "sorgfältig" and "sorgfältige" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sorgfältige vs sorgfältiger". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,700,416 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list