übrigvsübrigenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,136
“übrig” frequency rank
#2,186
“übrigen” frequency rank
4322
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature übrig übrigen
Definition noch vorhanden, verbleibend, restlich Genitiv Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs übrig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set übrig and übrigen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
übrig
7 ch
übrigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. übrig ([ˈyːbʁɪç]) and übrigen ([ˈyːbʁɪɡn̩]) 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) - “übrig” sits inside “übrigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4322, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

übrig is recorded at frequency rank #2,136, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈyːbʁɪç]. übrigen is at rank #2,186, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈyːbʁɪɡn̩].

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 4322, this pair ranks #1,998,017 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of übrig vs übrigen

Shared letters: bgirü. Private to "übrig": -. Private to "übrigen": en.

"übrig" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "übrigen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

übrig#2,136
übrigen#2,186

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "übrig" and "übrigen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈyːbʁɪç] versus [ˈyːbʁɪɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "übrig" or "übrigen"?
"übrig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,136 in our German list, against #2,186 for "übrigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering übrig vs übrigen

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 “übrig” 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