tödlichvstödlicheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,864
“tödlich” frequency rank
#10,380
“tödliche” frequency rank
17244
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tödlich tödliche
Definition zum Tod führend; den Tod zur Folge habend Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tödlich

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
tödlich
8 ch
tödliche

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tödlich ([ˈtøːtlɪç]) and tödliche ([ˈtøːtlɪçə]) 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) - “tödlich” sits inside “tödliche”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17244, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tödlich is recorded at frequency rank #6,864, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈtøːtlɪç]. tödliche is at rank #10,380, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈtøːtlɪçə].

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 17244, this pair ranks #1,929,101 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tödlich vs tödliche

Shared letters: cdhiltö. Private to "tödlich": -. Private to "tödliche": e.

"tödlich" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "tödliche" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Frequency comparison

tödlich#6,864
tödliche#10,380

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tödlich" and "tödliche" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtøːtlɪç] versus [ˈtøːtlɪçə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tödlich" or "tödliche"?
"tödlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,864 in our German list, against #10,380 for "tödliche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tödlich vs tödliche

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 “tödlich” 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