aktuellvsaktuellemWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#1,068
“aktuell” frequency rank
#20,156
“aktuellem” frequency rank
21224
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aktuell aktuellem
Definition jetzt, in dieser Zeit, in diesem Moment Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs aktuell

Where the eye mixes aktuell and aktuellem

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. aktuell runs 7 letters (VCCVVCC) against aktuellem's 9 (VCCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
aktuell
9 ch
aktuellem

Visual trap between aktuell and aktuellem

A purely visual mix-up. aktuell ([aktuˈɛl]) and aktuellem ([aktuˈɛləm]) 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) - “aktuell” sits inside “aktuellem”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21224, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

aktuell is recorded at frequency rank #1,068, classified as anadj, pronounced [aktuˈɛl]. aktuellem is at rank #20,156, tagged as anadj, pronounced [aktuˈɛləm].

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 21224, this pair ranks #1,888,804 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of aktuell vs aktuellem

Shared letters: aekltu. Private to "aktuell": -. Private to "aktuellem": m.

"aktuell" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCC  ·  "aktuellem" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aktuell ← akktuell · akteull · akttuell · aktuel · aktulel · akutell · atkuell · katuell
  • aktuellem ← akktuellem · akteullem · akttuellem · aktuelelm · aktuelem · aktuellemm · aktuellme · aktulelem

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "aktuell" and "aktuellem" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aktuˈɛl] versus [aktuˈɛləm]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "aktuell" or "aktuellem"?
"aktuell" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,068 in our German list, against #20,156 for "aktuellem". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "aktuell" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "aktuellem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,888,804 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "aktuell" and "aktuellem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aktuellem vs aktuelles". 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 #1,888,804 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