sympathischvssympathischeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,137
“sympathisch” frequency rank
#20,426
“sympathische” frequency rank
28563
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sympathisch sympathische
Definition zu Sympathien motivierend; charmant, nett Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs sympathisch

Where the spellings diverge

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

11 ch
sympathisch
12 ch
sympathische

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sympathisch ([zʏmˈpaːtɪʃ]) and sympathische ([zʏmˈpaːtɪʃə]) 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) - “sympathisch” sits inside “sympathische”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28563, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sympathisch is recorded at frequency rank #8,137, classified as anadj, pronounced [zʏmˈpaːtɪʃ]. sympathische is at rank #20,426, tagged as anadj, pronounced [zʏmˈpaːtɪʃə].

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 28563, this pair ranks #1,782,558 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sympathisch vs sympathische

Shared letters: achimpsty. Private to "sympathisch": -. Private to "sympathische": e.

"sympathisch" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCC  ·  "sympathische" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sympathischsmypathisch · ssympathisch · symapthisch · symmpathisch · sympahtisch · sympathhisch · sympathicsh · sympathiscch
  • sympathischesmypathische · ssympathische · symapthische · symmpathische · sympahtische · sympathhische · sympathicshe · sympathiscche

Frequency comparison

sympathisch#8,137
sympathische#20,426

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sympathisch" and "sympathische" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([zʏmˈpaːtɪʃ] versus [zʏmˈpaːtɪʃə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sympathisch" or "sympathische"?
"sympathisch" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,137 in our German list, against #20,426 for "sympathische". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sympathisch vs sympathische

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 “sympathisch” 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