Which to use
“unheimlich” and “unheimlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,866
- “unheimlich” frequency rank
- #31,841
- “unheimlichen” frequency rank
- 38707
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unheimlich | unheimlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Gefühl leichter oder unbestimmter Furcht oder Angst erregend | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs unheimlich |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unheimlich and unheimlichen apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. unheimlich ([ˈʊnhaɪ̯mlɪç]) and unheimlichen ([ˈʊnhaɪ̯mlɪçn̩]) 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) - “unheimlich” sits inside “unheimlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38707, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unheimlich is recorded at frequency rank #6,866, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʊnhaɪ̯mlɪç]. unheimlichen is at rank #31,841, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʊnhaɪ̯mlɪçn̩].
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 38707, this pair ranks #1,556,762 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of unheimlich vs unheimlichen
Shared letters: cehilmnu. Private to "unheimlich": -. Private to "unheimlichen": -.
"unheimlich" · 10 letters · shape VCCVVCCVCC · "unheimlichen" · 12 letters · shape VCCVVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- unheimlich ← nuheimlich · uhneimlich · unehimlich · unheilmich · unheimilch · unheimlcih · unheimlicch · unheimlichh
- unheimlichen ← nuheimlichen · uhneimlichen · unehimlichen · unheilmichen · unheimilchen · unheimlcihen · unheimlicchen · unheimlicehn
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unheimlich" and "unheimlichen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "unheimlich" or "unheimlichen"?
Remembering unheimlich vs unheimlichen
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 “unheimlich” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable