ungläubigvsUngläubigeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ungläubig is a adjective, Ungläubige is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ungläubig” is an adjective and “Ungläubige” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#29,381
“ungläubig” frequency rank
#30,822
“Ungläubige” frequency rank
60203
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ungläubig Ungläubige
Definition etwas nicht für wahr haltend, seine Bedenken habend, seine Zweifel ausdrückend weibliche Person, die nicht an (den aus Sicht des Sprechers einzigen, richtigen, wahren und dergleichen) Gott und die diesem huldigenden religiösen Lehren glaubt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ungläubig and Ungläubige apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
ungläubig
10 ch
Ungläubige

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ungläubig is [ˈʊnˌɡlɔɪ̯bɪç] while Ungläubige is [ˈʊnˌɡlɔɪ̯bɪɡə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “ungläubig” sits inside “Ungläubige”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60203, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ungläubig is recorded at frequency rank #29,381, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʊnˌɡlɔɪ̯bɪç]. Ungläubige is at rank #30,822, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʊnˌɡlɔɪ̯bɪɡə].

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 60203, this pair ranks #795,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ungläubig vs Ungläubige

Shared letters: bgilnuä. Private to "ungläubig": -. Private to "Ungläubige": e.

"ungläubig" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCVC  ·  "Ungläubige" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVVCVCV

Frequency comparison

ungläubig#29,381
Ungläubige#30,822

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ungläubig" and "Ungläubige" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ungläubig" is an adjective and "Ungläubige" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ungläubig" or "Ungläubige"?
"ungläubig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,381 in our German list, against #30,822 for "Ungläubige". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ungläubig vs Ungläubige

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “ungläubig”; for a noun, it's “Ungläubige”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ungläubig” 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