-lich
[lɪç]
The verdict
“-lich” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a suffix - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency German
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - nachgestelltes Wortbildungselement, das von einem Substantiv ein Adjektiv ableitet
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | -lich |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Suffix |
| IPA | [lɪç] |
| Letters | 5 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “-lich” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for -lich is 5 letters long, classified as a suffix, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [lɪç]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for -lich, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is -lich, spelled --L-I-C-H.
Definition
- 1nachgestelltes Wortbildungselement, das von einem Substantiv ein Adjektiv ableitet
- 2nachgestelltes Wortbildungselement, das von einem Verb ein Adjektiv ableitet
- 3nachgestelltes Wortbildungselement, das von einem Adjektiv ein Adjektiv ableitet
- 4nachgestelltes Wortbildungselement, das von einem Zeitausdruck ein Adjektiv der Wiederholung ableitet
- 5nachgestelltes Wortbildungselement, das ein Adverb ableitet
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "-lich"?
What does "-lich" mean?
How do you pronounce "-lich"?
What language does "-lich" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “-lich”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is --L-I-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [lɪç] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.