südlichvssüdlichenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,541
“südlich” frequency rank
#6,012
“südlichen” frequency rank
11553
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature südlich südlichen
Definition auf den Süden, auf Süd bezogen, in der Richtung des Südens Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs südlich

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
südlich
9 ch
südlichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. südlich ([ˈzyːtlɪç]) and südlichen ([ˈzyːtlɪçn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “südlich” sits inside “südlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11553, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

südlich is recorded at frequency rank #5,541, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈzyːtlɪç]. südlichen is at rank #6,012, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈzyːtlɪçn̩].

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 11553, this pair ranks #1,969,263 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of südlich vs südlichen

Shared letters: cdhilsü. Private to "südlich": -. Private to "südlichen": en.

"südlich" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "südlichen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

südlich#5,541
südlichen#6,012

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "südlich" and "südlichen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzyːtlɪç] versus [ˈzyːtlɪçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "südlich" or "südlichen"?
"südlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,541 in our German list, against #6,012 for "südlichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering südlich vs südlichen

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 “südlich” 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