vergeblichvsvergeblichenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,682
“vergeblich” frequency rank
#42,225
“vergeblichen” frequency rank
49907
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vergeblich vergeblichen
Definition in Scheitern resultierend Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs vergeblich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vergeblich and vergeblichen apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
vergeblich
12 ch
vergeblichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. vergeblich ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːplɪç]) and vergeblichen ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːplɪçn̩]) 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) - “vergeblich” sits inside “vergeblichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49907, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vergeblich is recorded at frequency rank #7,682, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːplɪç]. vergeblichen is at rank #42,225, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːplɪçn̩].

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 49907, this pair ranks #1,193,869 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vergeblich vs vergeblichen

Shared letters: bceghilrv. Private to "vergeblich": -. Private to "vergeblichen": n.

"vergeblich" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC  ·  "vergeblichen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vergeblichevrgeblich · vegreblich · veregblich · vergbelich · vergebblich · vergebilch · vergeblcih · vergeblicch
  • vergeblichenevrgeblichen · vegreblichen · veregblichen · vergbelichen · vergebblichen · vergebilchen · vergeblcihen · vergeblicchen

Frequency comparison

vergeblich#7,682
vergeblichen#42,225

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vergeblich" and "vergeblichen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːplɪç] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːplɪçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vergeblich" or "vergeblichen"?
"vergeblich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,682 in our German list, against #42,225 for "vergeblichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vergeblich vs vergeblichen

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 “vergeblich” 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