Which to use
“vernünftig” and “vernünftige” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,664
- “vernünftig” frequency rank
- #9,479
- “vernünftige” frequency rank
- 15143
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vernünftig | vernünftige |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | seinen Verstand (die Vernunft) gebrauchend, statt sich von Emotionen leiten zu lassen | Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs vernünftig |
Where the eye mixes vernünftig and vernünftige
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. vernünftig runs 10 letters (CVCCVCCCVC) against vernünftige's 11 (CVCCVCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between vernünftig and vernünftige
A purely visual mix-up. vernünftig ([fɛɐ̯ˈnʏnftɪç]) and vernünftige ([fɛɐ̯ˈnʏnftɪɡə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “vernünftig” sits inside “vernünftige”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15143, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vernünftig is recorded at frequency rank #5,664, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈnʏnftɪç]. vernünftige is at rank #9,479, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈnʏnftɪɡə].
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 15143, this pair ranks #1,946,064 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vernünftig vs vernünftige
Shared letters: efginrtvü. Private to "vernünftig": -. Private to "vernünftige": -.
"vernünftig" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC · "vernünftige" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vernünftig" and "vernünftige" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "vernünftig" or "vernünftige" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "vernünftig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vernünftige" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,946,064 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vernünftig" and "vernünftige" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vernünftige vs vernünftiges". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,946,064 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.