alldemvsallemConfusable pair

Quick tell: alldem is a pronoun, allem is an unknown, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“alldem” is a pronoun and “allem” is an unknown - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#45,105
“alldem” frequency rank
#239
“allem” frequency rank
45344
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alldem allem
Definition Gesamtheit eines bestimmten Sachverhalts maskuliner und neutraler Dativ Singular des Indefinitpronomens alle

Where the eye mixes alldem and allem

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. alldem runs 6 letters (VCCCVC) against allem's 5 (VCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
alldem
5 ch
allem

Why the eye confuses alldem with allem

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: alldem is [alˈdeːm] while allem is [ˈaləm]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs unknown), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45344, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alldem is recorded at frequency rank #45,105, classified as apron, pronounced [alˈdeːm]. allem is at rank #239, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [ˈaləm].

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 45344, this pair ranks #1,356,225 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of alldem vs allem

Shared letters: aelm. Private to "alldem": d. Private to "allem": -.

"alldem" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC  ·  "allem" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alldem ← aldem · aldlem · allddem · alldemm · alldme · alledm · laldem
  • allem ← alelm · alem · allemm · allme · lalem

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alldem" and "allem" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "alldem" is a pronoun and "allem" an unknown, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "alldem" or "allem"?
"allem" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #239 in our German list, against #45,105 for "alldem". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "alldem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "allem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,356,225 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "alldem" and "allem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "alldem vs Alleen". 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 #1,356,225 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