Which to use
“Alternative” is a noun and “alternatives” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,756
- “Alternative” frequency rank
- #37,950
- “alternatives” frequency rank
- 39706
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Alternative | alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine von mehreren Möglichkeiten oder eine Ausweichsmöglichkeit (siehe auch ausweichen) | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs alternativ |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Alternative and alternatives apart are highlighted. They share 11 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: Alternative is [ˌaltɛʁnaˈtiːvə] while alternatives is [ˌaltɛʁnaˈtiːvəs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Alternative” sits inside “alternatives”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39706, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Alternative is recorded at frequency rank #1,756, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˌaltɛʁnaˈtiːvə]. alternatives is at rank #37,950, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌaltɛʁnaˈtiːvəs].
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 39706, this pair ranks #1,529,238 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Alternative vs alternatives
Shared letters: aeilnrtv. Private to "Alternative": -. Private to "alternatives": s.
"Alternative" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVCV · "alternatives" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Alternative ← aletrnative · allternative · altenrative · alterantive · alternaitve · alternatiev · alternativve · alternattive
- alternatives ← aletrnatives · allternatives · altenratives · alterantives · alternaitves · alternatievs · alternativess · alternativse
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Alternative" and "alternatives" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Alternative" or "alternatives"?
Remembering Alternative vs alternatives
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Alternative”; for an adjective, it's “alternatives”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Alternative” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable