Which to use
“altere” is a verb and “älteren” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #36,169
- “altere” frequency rank
- #2,376
- “älteren” frequency rank
- 38545
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | altere | älteren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs altern | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum Komparativ der starken Flexion des Adjektivs alt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set altere and älteren apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: altere is [ˈaltəʁə] while älteren is [ˈɛltəʁən]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38545, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
altere is recorded at frequency rank #36,169, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaltəʁə]. älteren is at rank #2,376, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛltəʁən].
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 38545, this pair ranks #1,561,118 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of altere vs älteren
Shared letters: elrt. Private to "altere": a. Private to "älteren": nä.
"altere" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "älteren" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- altere ← aletre · alltere · alteer · alterre · altree · alttere · atlere · latere
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "altere" and "älteren" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "altere" or "älteren"?
Remembering altere vs älteren
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “altere”; for an adjective, it's “älteren”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “altere” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable