Which to use
“subtile” and “subtilen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,798
- “subtile” frequency rank
- #44,262
- “subtilen” frequency rank
- 75060
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | subtile | subtilen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs subtil | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs subtil |
Where the eye mixes subtile and subtilen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses subtile with subtilen
A purely visual mix-up. subtile ([zʊpˈtiːlə]) and subtilen ([zʊpˈtiːlən]) 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) - “subtile” sits inside “subtilen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75060, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
subtile is recorded at frequency rank #30,798, classified as anadj, pronounced [zʊpˈtiːlə]. subtilen is at rank #44,262, tagged as anadj, pronounced [zʊpˈtiːlən].
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 75060, this pair ranks #317,461 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of subtile vs subtilen
Shared letters: beilstu. Private to "subtile": -. Private to "subtilen": n.
"subtile" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "subtilen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "subtile" and "subtilen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "subtile" or "subtilen"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "subtile" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "subtilen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #317,461 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "subtile" and "subtilen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "subtilen vs subtiler". 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 #317,461 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.