die
Wirksamkeit
🎯 What does "die Wirksamkeit" mean?
Die Wirksamkeit (noun, feminine) describes the extent to which something achieves the desired result or intended effect. It's about whether and how well something works. It translates to effectiveness, efficacy, or sometimes potency (especially for drugs).
- Main meaning: The capacity to produce a specific effect; effectiveness, efficacy, validity (e.g., of a medicine, a measure, a law).
⚠️ Note: Sometimes die Effizienz (efficiency) is used synonymously, but Effizienz relates more to the ratio of effort to benefit (cost-effectiveness), while Wirksamkeit focuses on achieving the goal itself.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-keit → always feminine.
🧐 Grammar in Detail: Die Wirksamkeit
The noun "Wirksamkeit" is feminine. Therefore, the correct article is die.
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Subject) | die | Wirksamkeit |
| Genitive (Possessive) | der | Wirksamkeit |
| Dative (Indirect Object) | der | Wirksamkeit |
| Accusative (Direct Object) | die | Wirksamkeit |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Wirksamkeiten |
| Genitive | der | Wirksamkeiten |
| Dative | den | Wirksamkeiten |
| Accusative | die | Wirksamkeiten |
Note: The plural "Wirksamkeiten" is rarely used, mostly when referring to different types or aspects of effectiveness.
📝 Example Sentences
- Die Wirksamkeit des neuen Medikaments wurde in Studien bestätigt. (The efficacy of the new drug was confirmed in studies.)
- Wir müssen die Wirksamkeit unserer Marketingstrategie überprüfen. (We need to review the effectiveness of our marketing strategy.)
- Die hohe Wirksamkeit der Maßnahme überraschte alle. (The high effectiveness of the measure surprised everyone.)
- Es gibt Zweifel an der Wirksamkeit dieses Gesetzes. (There are doubts about the effectiveness/validity of this law.)
💡 How "Wirksamkeit" is used
The term "Wirksamkeit" is used in many contexts, often when evaluating actions, products, or methods:
- Medicine & Pharmacy: Assessing the effect of drugs, therapies, or vaccines (e.g., klinische Wirksamkeit - clinical efficacy).
- Science & Research: Evaluating experiments, studies, or methods regarding their objective.
- Business & Management: Analyzing the effectiveness of measures, strategies, or processes.
- Law & Politics: Discussing the validity or effect of laws and regulations (e.g., rückwirkende Wirksamkeit - retroactive validity/effect).
- Everyday life: Evaluating the effect of common items, e.g., the effectiveness of a cleaning agent.
At its core, it's always about whether something fulfills its intended purpose. People often talk about hohe Wirksamkeit (high effectiveness) or geringe Wirksamkeit (low effectiveness), or they prüfen die Wirksamkeit (check the effectiveness).
🧠 Mnemonics
For the article (die): Think of suffixes like '-keit', '-heit', '-ung', '-schaft' in German – they almost always make a noun feminine -> die Wirksamkeit. Like die Fähigkeit (ability), die Gesundheit (health).
For the meaning: "Wirksamkeit" sounds a bit like "Work-some-Kite". Imagine testing if a kite works (flies effectively) – you're testing its effectiveness or Wirksamkeit.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
- Die Effektivität: Very similar, emphasizes achieving the goal.
- Die Wirkung: The result itself, the effect. Wirksamkeit is the potential to achieve this effect.
- Der Wirkungsgrad: More technical/physical, efficiency ratio (e.g., energy).
- Die Potenz (for medicine): Potency, strength of effect.
- Die Gültigkeit (for laws/contracts): Validity.
Antonyms:
- Die Unwirksamkeit: Ineffectiveness, lack of effect.
- Die Wirkungslosigkeit: Ineffectualness, state of having no effect.
- Die Ineffektivität: Ineffectiveness (failure to achieve the goal).
- Die Nutzlosigkeit: Uselessness.
🚨 Be careful: Don't confuse Wirksamkeit with die Wirklichkeit (reality).
😄 A Little Joke
Arzt: "Hat die neue Schlaftablette geholfen?"
Patient: "Ja, enorme Wirksamkeit! Ich bin gestern dreimal beim Versuch aufgewacht, sie zu schlucken!"
Translation:
Doctor: "Did the new sleeping pill help?"
Patient: "Yes, tremendous effectiveness! I woke up three times yesterday trying to swallow it!"
📜 Poem about Wirksamkeit
Ein Mittel, klug erdacht,
hat es die Wirkung auch gebracht?
Man prüft mit Eifer, Tag und Nacht,
die Wirksamkeit, die Kraft, die Macht.
Erreicht das Ziel, so ist's vollbracht,
wenn nicht, wird neu die Müh' entfacht.
Translation:
A remedy, cleverly conceived,
has it also brought the desired effect indeed?
They test with zeal, day and night,
the effectiveness, the power, the might.
If the goal is reached, the work is done,
if not, new effort has begun.
❓ Riddle
Ich bin kein Zauber, doch ich zeige Kraft,
ob Medizin, Gesetz, ob Leidenschaft.
Man misst und prüft mich, will genau es wissen,
ob ich das Ziel erreiche, unverdrossen.
Was bin ich?
Translation:
I am no magic, yet I show power,
Be it medicine, law, or passion's flower.
People measure and test me, wanting to know for sure,
Whether I reach the goal, steadfast and pure.
What am I?
(Answer: Die Wirksamkeit / Effectiveness)
More insights
Word Formation (Etymology):
The word "Wirksamkeit" is composed of:
- The verb wirken (to work, act, have an effect)
- The adjective suffix -sam (indicates an ability or tendency, e.g., wirk-sam = able to have an effect, effective)
- The noun suffix -keit (forms abstract nouns from adjectives, often feminine, e.g., Wirksam-keit = effectiveness)
So, it literally describes the state or quality of being wirksam (effective).
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Wirksamkeit?
The correct article for Wirksamkeit is die. It is a feminine noun referring to the ability to produce a desired effect or result (effectiveness or efficacy). It is typically used in the singular (e.g., die Wirksamkeit einer Pille - the effectiveness of a pill).