vorsätzlichvsvorsätzlicheWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#17,462
“vorsätzlich” frequency rank
#35,536
“vorsätzliche” frequency rank
52998
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vorsätzlich vorsätzliche
Definition mit Absicht, Vorsatz Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs vorsätzlich

Where the eye mixes vorsätzlich and vorsätzliche

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. vorsätzlich runs 11 letters (CVCCVCCCVCC) against vorsätzliche's 12 (CVCCVCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch
vorsätzlich
12 ch
vorsätzliche

Look-alike desk: vorsätzlich vs vorsätzliche

A purely visual mix-up. vorsätzlich ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzɛt͡slɪç]) and vorsätzliche ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzɛt͡slɪçə]) 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) - “vorsätzlich” sits inside “vorsätzliche”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52998, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vorsätzlich is recorded at frequency rank #17,462, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzɛt͡slɪç]. vorsätzliche is at rank #35,536, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzɛt͡slɪçə].

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 52998, this pair ranks #1,075,080 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vorsätzlich vs vorsätzliche

Shared letters: chilorstvzä. Private to "vorsätzlich": -. Private to "vorsätzliche": e.

"vorsätzlich" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCC  ·  "vorsätzliche" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "vorsätzlich" for "vorsätzliche" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzɛt͡slɪç] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzɛt͡slɪçə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "vorsätzlich" or "vorsätzliche" show up more?
"vorsätzlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,462 in our German list, against #35,536 for "vorsätzliche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "vorsätzlich" and "vorsätzliche" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "vorsätzlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "vorsätzliche" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,075,080 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "vorsätzlich" and "vorsätzliche" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vorsätzliche vs vorsätzlichen". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,075,080 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list