tödlichvstödlichenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,864
“tödlich” frequency rank
#11,339
“tödlichen” frequency rank
18203
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tödlich tödlichen
Definition zum Tod führend; den Tod zur Folge habend Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tödlich

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
tödlich
9 ch
tödlichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tödlich ([ˈtøːtlɪç]) and tödlichen ([ˈtøːtlɪçn̩]) 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) - “tödlich” sits inside “tödlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18203, 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]. tödlichen is at rank #11,339, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈtøːtlɪçn̩].

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 18203, this pair ranks #1,920,447 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tödlich vs tödlichen

Shared letters: cdhiltö. Private to "tödlich": -. Private to "tödlichen": en.

"tödlich" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "tödlichen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

tödlich#6,864
tödlichen#11,339

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tödlich" and "tödlichen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtøːtlɪç] versus [ˈtøːtlɪçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tödlich" or "tödlichen"?
"tödlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,864 in our German list, against #11,339 for "tödlichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tödlich vs tödlichen

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