altemvsATMWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: altem is a adjective, ATM is an abbrev, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“altem” is an adjective and “ATM” is an abbrev - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#16,081
“altem” frequency rank
#29,005
“ATM” frequency rank
45086
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature altem ATM
Definition Dativ Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs alt Automatenmarke(n)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set altem and ATM apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
altem
3 ch
ATM

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: altem is [ˈaltəm] while ATM is [aːteːˈʔɛm]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs abbrev), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45086, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

altem is recorded at frequency rank #16,081, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈaltəm]. ATM is at rank #29,005, tagged as anabbrev, pronounced [aːteːˈʔɛm].

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 45086, this pair ranks #1,364,962 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of altem vs ATM

Shared letters: amt. Private to "altem": el. Private to "ATM": -.

"altem" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "ATM" · 3 letters · shape VCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • altemaletm · alltem · altemm · altme · alttem · atlem · latem

Frequency comparison

altem#16,081
ATM#29,005

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "altem" and "ATM" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "altem" is an adjective and "ATM" an abbrev, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "altem" or "ATM"?
"altem" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,081 in our German list, against #29,005 for "ATM". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering altem vs ATM

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “altem”; for an abbrev, it's “ATM”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “altem” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list