zuverlässigevszuverlässigerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,480
“zuverlässige” frequency rank
#24,218
“zuverlässiger” frequency rank
41698
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zuverlässige zuverlässiger
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zuverlässig Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs zuverlässig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zuverlässige and zuverlässiger apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
zuverlässige
13 ch
zuverlässiger

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. zuverlässige ([ˈt͡suːfɛɐ̯ˌlɛsɪɡə]) and zuverlässiger ([ˈt͡suːfɛɐ̯ˌlɛsɪɡɐ]) 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) - “zuverlässige” sits inside “zuverlässiger”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41698, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zuverlässige is recorded at frequency rank #17,480, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡suːfɛɐ̯ˌlɛsɪɡə]. zuverlässiger is at rank #24,218, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡suːfɛɐ̯ˌlɛsɪɡɐ].

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 41698, this pair ranks #1,471,738 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of zuverlässige vs zuverlässiger

Shared letters: egilrsuvzä. Private to "zuverlässige": -. Private to "zuverlässiger": -.

"zuverlässige" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVCV  ·  "zuverlässiger" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

zuverlässige#17,480
zuverlässiger#24,218

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zuverlässige" and "zuverlässiger" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt͡suːfɛɐ̯ˌlɛsɪɡə] versus [ˈt͡suːfɛɐ̯ˌlɛsɪɡɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "zuverlässige" or "zuverlässiger"?
"zuverlässige" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,480 in our German list, against #24,218 for "zuverlässiger". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering zuverlässige vs zuverlässiger

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 “zuverlässige” 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