unerklärlichvsunerklärlichenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#42,886
“unerklärlich” frequency rank
#47,794
“unerklärlichen” frequency rank
90680
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature unerklärlich unerklärlichen
Definition nicht erklärbar, nicht nachvollziehbar Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs unerklärlich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unerklärlich and unerklärlichen apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
unerklärlich
14 ch
unerklärlichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

unerklärlich and unerklärlichen form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “unerklärlich” sits inside “unerklärlichen” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 90680, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

unerklärlich is recorded at frequency rank #42,886, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˌʊnʔɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯lɪç]. unerklärlichen is at rank #47,794, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌʊnʔɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯lɪçn̩].

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 90680, this pair ranks #44,722 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

unerklärlich#42,886
unerklärlichen#47,794

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "unerklärlich" and "unerklärlichen" be used interchangeably?
No, "unerklärlich" and "unerklärlichen" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering unerklärlich vs unerklärlichen

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 “unerklärlich” 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