vertraglichevsvertraulicheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,839
“vertragliche” frequency rank
#28,457
“vertrauliche” frequency rank
61296
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vertragliche vertrauliche
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs vertraglich Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs vertraulich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vertragliche and vertrauliche apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
vertragliche
12 ch
vertrauliche

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. vertragliche ([fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːklɪçə]) and vertrauliche ([fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaʊ̯lɪçə]) 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 a single letter - g in “vertragliche” becomes u in “vertrauliche”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61296, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vertragliche is recorded at frequency rank #32,839, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːklɪçə]. vertrauliche is at rank #28,457, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaʊ̯lɪçə].

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 61296, this pair ranks #755,087 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vertragliche vs vertrauliche

Shared letters: acehilrtv. Private to "vertragliche": g. Private to "vertrauliche": u.

"vertragliche" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCCV  ·  "vertrauliche" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vertraglicheevrtragliche · verrtagliche · verrtragliche · vertargliche · vertraggliche · vertragilche · vertraglcihe · vertraglicche
  • vertraulicheevrtrauliche · verrtauliche · verrtrauliche · vertaruliche · vertraluiche · vertrauilche · vertraulcihe · vertraulicche

Frequency comparison

vertragliche#32,839
vertrauliche#28,457

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vertragliche" and "vertrauliche" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːklɪçə] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaʊ̯lɪçə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vertragliche" or "vertrauliche"?
"vertrauliche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,457 in our German list, against #32,839 for "vertragliche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vertragliche vs vertrauliche

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 “vertragliche” 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