Which to use
“zufällig” and “zufällige” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,526
- “zufällig” frequency rank
- #19,093
- “zufällige” frequency rank
- 21619
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zufällig | zufällige |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | unvorhersehbar und ohne Absicht geschehend, durch Zufall | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zufällig |
Where the eye mixes zufällig and zufällige
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. zufällig runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against zufällige's 9 (CVCVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between zufällig and zufällige
A purely visual mix-up. zufällig ([ˈt͡suːfɛlɪç]) and zufällige ([ˈt͡suːfɛlɪɡə]) 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) - “zufällig” sits inside “zufällige”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21619, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zufällig is recorded at frequency rank #2,526, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡suːfɛlɪç]. zufällige is at rank #19,093, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡suːfɛlɪɡə].
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 21619, this pair ranks #1,884,125 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zufällig vs zufällige
Shared letters: fgiluzä. Private to "zufällig": -. Private to "zufällige": e.
"zufällig" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "zufällige" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zufällig" for "zufällige" ever safe?
Frequency check: "zufällig" vs "zufällige" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "zufällig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zufällige" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,884,125 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zufällig" and "zufällige" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zufällige vs zufälliger". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,884,125 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.