Which to use
“Alster” is a name and “alters” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,403
- “Alster” frequency rank
- #6,387
- “alters” frequency rank
- 38790
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Alster | alters |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | rechter Nebenfluss der Unterelbe | seit jeher, seit langer Zeit |
Where the eye mixes Alster and alters
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Alster (VCCCVC) and alters (VCCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Alster with alters
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Alster is [ˈalstɐ] while alters is [ˈaltɐs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they are an anagram pair: the same letters reordered, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38790, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Alster is recorded at frequency rank #32,403, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈalstɐ]. alters is at rank #6,387, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈaltɐs].
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 38790, this pair ranks #1,554,534 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Alster vs alters
Shared letters: aelrst. Private to "Alster": -. Private to "alters": -.
"Alster" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "alters" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Alster" for "alters" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Alster" vs "alters" - 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 "Alster" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alters" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,554,534 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Alster" and "alters" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Alster 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 #1,554,534 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.