aktivvsaktiverWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“aktiv” and “aktiver” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,100
“aktiv” frequency rank
#8,507
“aktiver” frequency rank
9607
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aktiv aktiver
Definition in einer bestimmten Hinsicht tätig, engagiert Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs aktiv

Where the eye mixes aktiv and aktiver

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. aktiv runs 5 letters (VCCVC) against aktiver's 7 (VCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
aktiv
7 ch
aktiver

Look-alike desk: aktiv vs aktiver

A purely visual mix-up. aktiv ([akˈtiːf]) and aktiver ([akˈtiːvɐ]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “aktiv” sits inside “aktiver”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9607, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

aktiv is recorded at frequency rank #1,100, classified as anadj, pronounced [akˈtiːf]. aktiver is at rank #8,507, tagged as anadj, pronounced [akˈtiːvɐ].

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 9607, this pair ranks #1,979,155 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of aktiv vs aktiver

Shared letters: aiktv. Private to "aktiv": -. Private to "aktiver": er.

"aktiv" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "aktiver" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aktiv ← akitv · akktiv · aktivv · akttiv · aktvi · atkiv · kativ
  • aktiver ← akitver · akktiver · aktievr · aktiverr · aktivre · aktivver · akttiver · aktvier

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "aktiv" and "aktiver" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([akˈtiːf] versus [akˈtiːvɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "aktiv" vs "aktiver" - which ranks higher?
"aktiv" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,100 in our German list, against #8,507 for "aktiver". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "aktiv" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "aktiver" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,979,155 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "aktiv" and "aktiver" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aktiv vs antik". 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 #1,979,155 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list