ärgstenvsärmsteWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“ärgsten” and “ärmste” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#47,892
“ärgsten” frequency rank
#49,427
“ärmste” frequency rank
97319
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ärgsten ärmste
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs arg Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs arm

Where the eye mixes ärgsten and ärmste

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. ärgsten runs 7 letters (VCCCCVC) against ärmste's 6 (VCCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
ärgsten
6 ch
ärmste

Look-alike desk: ärgsten vs ärmste

A purely visual mix-up. ärgsten ([ˈɛʁkstn̩]) and ärmste ([ˈɛʁmstə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 97319, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ärgsten is recorded at frequency rank #47,892, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛʁkstn̩]. ärmste is at rank #49,427, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛʁmstə].

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 97319, this pair ranks #4,168 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ärgsten vs ärmste

Shared letters: erstä. Private to "ärgsten": gn. Private to "ärmste": m.

"ärgsten" · 7 letters · shape VCCCCVC  ·  "ärmste" · 6 letters · shape VCCCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "ärgsten" for "ärmste" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɛʁkstn̩] versus [ˈɛʁmstə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "ärgsten" vs "ärmste" - which ranks higher?
"ärgsten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #47,892 in our German list, against #49,427 for "ärmste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "ärgsten" and "ärmste" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "ärgsten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "ärmste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #4,168 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ärgsten" and "ärmste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ärmere vs ärmste". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #4,168 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list