Which to use
“Achter” and “Alter” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,146
- “Achter” frequency rank
- #455
- “Alter” frequency rank
- 18601
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Achter | Alter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Ziffer 8 oder etwas, das die Ziffer 8 trägt (zum Beispiel ein Sportler mit der Trikotnummer 8) | alter Mann |
Where the eye mixes Achter and Alter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Achter with Alter
A purely visual mix-up. Achter ([ˈaxtɐ]) and Alter ([ˈaltɐ]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18601, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Achter is recorded at frequency rank #18,146, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaxtɐ]. Alter is at rank #455, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaltɐ].
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 18601, this pair ranks #1,916,702 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Achter vs Alter
Shared letters: aert. Private to "Achter": ch. Private to "Alter": l.
"Achter" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "Alter" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Achter" and "Alter" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Achter" vs "Alter" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Achter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Alter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,916,702 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Achter" and "Alter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Achter vs Auster". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,916,702 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.