Which to use
“ältesten” and “ältester” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,674
- “ältesten” frequency rank
- #20,144
- “ältester” frequency rank
- 24818
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ältesten | ältester |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs alt | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum Superlativ der starken Flexion des Adjektivs alt |
Where the eye mixes ältesten and ältester
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. ältesten and ältester follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: ältesten vs ältester
A purely visual mix-up. ältesten ([ˈɛltəstn̩]) and ältester ([ˈɛltəstɐ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - n in “ältesten” becomes r in “ältester”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24818, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ältesten is recorded at frequency rank #4,674, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛltəstn̩]. ältester is at rank #20,144, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛltəstɐ].
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 24818, this pair ranks #1,842,285 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ältesten vs ältester
Shared letters: elstä. Private to "ältesten": n. Private to "ältester": r.
"ältesten" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "ältester" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ältesten" and "ältester" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "ältesten" vs "ältester" - which ranks higher?
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 "ältesten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ältester" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,842,285 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ältesten" and "ältester" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ältester vs Altmeister". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,842,285 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.