zuverlässigvszuverlässigenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,312
“zuverlässig” frequency rank
#25,417
“zuverlässigen” frequency rank
33729
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zuverlässig zuverlässigen
Definition so, dass man darauf oder ihm vertrauen kann Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zuverlässig

Where the spellings diverge

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

11 ch
zuverlässig
13 ch
zuverlässigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. zuverlässig ([ˈt͡suːfɛɐ̯ˌlɛsɪç]) and zuverlässigen ([ˈt͡suːfɛɐ̯ˌlɛsɪɡn̩]) 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) - “zuverlässig” sits inside “zuverlässigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33729, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zuverlässig is recorded at frequency rank #8,312, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡suːfɛɐ̯ˌlɛsɪç]. zuverlässigen is at rank #25,417, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡suːfɛɐ̯ˌlɛsɪɡn̩].

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 33729, this pair ranks #1,679,394 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of zuverlässig vs zuverlässigen

Shared letters: egilrsuvzä. Private to "zuverlässig": -. Private to "zuverlässigen": n.

"zuverlässig" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVC  ·  "zuverlässigen" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

zuverlässig#8,312
zuverlässigen#25,417

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zuverlässig" and "zuverlässigen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt͡suːfɛɐ̯ˌlɛsɪç] versus [ˈt͡suːfɛɐ̯ˌlɛsɪɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "zuverlässig" or "zuverlässigen"?
"zuverlässig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,312 in our German list, against #25,417 for "zuverlässigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering zuverlässig vs zuverlässigen

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 “zuverlässig” 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