Which to use
“ärgsten” is an adjective and “Arsen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #47,892
- “ärgsten” frequency rank
- #29,002
- “Arsen” frequency rank
- 76894
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ärgsten | Arsen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs arg | das 33. chemische Element im Periodensystem, ein Halbmetall |
Where the eye mixes ärgsten and Arsen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. ärgsten runs 7 letters (VCCCCVC) against Arsen's 5 (VCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: ärgsten vs Arsen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ärgsten is [ˈɛʁkstn̩] while Arsen is [aʁˈzeːn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76894, 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]. Arsen is at rank #29,002, tagged as anoun, pronounced [aʁˈzeːn].
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 76894, this pair ranks #273,249 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ärgsten vs Arsen
Shared letters: enrs. Private to "ärgsten": gtä. Private to "Arsen": a.
"ärgsten" · 7 letters · shape VCCCCVC · "Arsen" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Arsen ← aresn · arrsen · arsenn · arsne · asren
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ärgsten" for "Arsen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ärgsten" or "Arsen"?
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 "ärgsten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Arsen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #273,249 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ärgsten" and "Arsen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ärgsten vs ärmste". 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 #273,249 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.