vanligste

Vanligste is the superlative form of the Norwegian adjective vanlig, meaning “most common” or “most usual.” It is used to identify the single most frequent option within a defined group and appears in both written and spoken Norwegian.

Grammar and usage: In Norwegian, vanligste marks the superlative when describing a definite noun, as in den vanligste årsaken (the most common cause) or det vanligste valget (the most common choice). The base form vanlig is combined with the superlative suffix to convey the highest degree of regularity or frequency within the context.

Relation to other languages: The form is closely related to the Swedish cognate vanligaste, which serves the same function in Swedish. The two languages share a common Germanic heritage for words meaning “common” or “usual,” contributing to their similar appearance and usage in this grammatical role.

Contexts and tone: Vanligste is typical in discussions of frequency, statistics, and comparative descriptions of what is most typical within a set of options. It can appear in academic writing, journalism, and everyday speech when signaling that one item is more typical than the others.

Examples:

Norwegian: Dette er den vanligste årsaken. (This is the most common cause.)

Norwegian: Det vanligeste valget ble valgt. (The most common choice was chosen.)

Swedish cognate: Det vanligaste exemplet är viktigt. (The most typical example.)

Note: While vanlige and vanligste are used in Norwegian, Danish and Swedish have their own standard forms of the superlative, such as vanligaste in Swedish.