Which to use
“altes” is an adjective and “Ämter” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,501
- “altes” frequency rank
- #9,489
- “Ämter” frequency rank
- 12990
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | altes | Ämter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Neutrum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs alt | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Amt |
Where the eye mixes altes and Ämter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses altes with Ämter
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: altes is [ˈaltəs] while Ämter is [ˈɛmtɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12990, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
altes is recorded at frequency rank #3,501, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈaltəs]. Ämter is at rank #9,489, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛmtɐ].
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 12990, this pair ranks #1,960,788 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of altes vs Ämter
Shared letters: et. Private to "altes": als. Private to "Ämter": mrä.
"altes" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "Ämter" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- altes ← alets · alltes · altess · altse · alttes · atles · lates
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "altes" for "Ämter" ever safe?
Which is more common, "altes" or "Ämter"?
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 "altes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Ämter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,960,788 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "altes" and "Ämter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ämter 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 #1,960,788 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.