südwestlichvssüdwestlichenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,080
“südwestlich” frequency rank
#37,236
“südwestlichen” frequency rank
64316
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature südwestlich südwestlichen
Definition auf den Südwesten, auf Südwest bezogen; in der Richtung des Südwestens; im Südwesten gelegen, von dort kommend Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs südwestlich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set südwestlich and südwestlichen apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
südwestlich
13 ch
südwestlichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. südwestlich ([zyːtˈvɛstlɪç]) and südwestlichen ([zyːtˈvɛstlɪçn̩]) 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) - “südwestlich” sits inside “südwestlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64316, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

südwestlich is recorded at frequency rank #27,080, classified as anadj, pronounced [zyːtˈvɛstlɪç]. südwestlichen is at rank #37,236, tagged as anadj, pronounced [zyːtˈvɛstlɪçn̩].

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 64316, this pair ranks #645,842 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of südwestlich vs südwestlichen

Shared letters: cdehilstwü. Private to "südwestlich": -. Private to "südwestlichen": n.

"südwestlich" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCC  ·  "südwestlichen" · 13 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

südwestlich#27,080
südwestlichen#37,236

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "südwestlich" and "südwestlichen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([zyːtˈvɛstlɪç] versus [zyːtˈvɛstlɪçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "südwestlich" or "südwestlichen"?
"südwestlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,080 in our German list, against #37,236 for "südwestlichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering südwestlich vs südwestlichen

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 “südwestlich” 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