Which to use
“dasselbe” is a pronoun and “desselben” is an unknown - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,386
- “dasselbe” frequency rank
- #7,453
- “desselben” frequency rank
- 9839
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dasselbe | desselben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Neutrum des Pronomens derselbe | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum des Demonstrativpronomens derselbe |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dasselbe and desselben apart are highlighted. They share 7 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: dasselbe is [dasˈzɛlbə] while desselben is [dɛsˈzɛlbn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs unknown), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9839, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dasselbe is recorded at frequency rank #2,386, classified as apron, pronounced [dasˈzɛlbə]. desselben is at rank #7,453, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [dɛsˈzɛlbn̩].
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 9839, this pair ranks #1,978,045 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dasselbe vs desselben
Shared letters: bdels. Private to "dasselbe": a. Private to "desselben": n.
"dasselbe" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "desselben" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dasselbe" and "desselben" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dasselbe" or "desselben"?
Remembering dasselbe vs desselben
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “dasselbe”; for an unknown, it's “desselben”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dasselbe” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable