Which to use
“Achter” and “Äther” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,146
- “Achter” frequency rank
- #33,933
- “Äther” frequency rank
- 52079
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Achter | Äther |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Ziffer 8 oder etwas, das die Ziffer 8 trägt (zum Beispiel ein Sportler mit der Trikotnummer 8) | verschiedene organische Verbindungen mit einer Sauerstoffbrücke als funktionelle Gruppe |
Where the eye mixes Achter and Äther
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Achter and Äther
A purely visual mix-up. Achter ([ˈaxtɐ]) and Äther ([ˈɛːtɐ]) 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 52079, 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]. Äther is at rank #33,933, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛːtɐ].
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 52079, this pair ranks #1,110,765 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Achter vs Äther
Shared letters: ehrt. Private to "Achter": ac. Private to "Äther": ä.
"Achter" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "Äther" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Achter ← acchter · achetr · achhter · achterr · achtre · achtter · acther · ahcter
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Achter" for "Äther" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Achter" or "Äther" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Achter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Äther" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,110,765 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Achter" and "Äther" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Äther vs Atze". 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 #1,110,765 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.