Which to use
“echten” and “echter” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,539
- “echten” frequency rank
- #3,721
- “echter” frequency rank
- 6260
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | echten | echter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs echt | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs echt |
Where the eye mixes echten and echter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: echten vs echter
A purely visual mix-up. echten ([ˈɛçtn̩]) and echter ([ˈɛçtɐ]) 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 “echten” becomes r in “echter”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6260, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
echten is recorded at frequency rank #2,539, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛçtn̩]. echter is at rank #3,721, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛçtɐ].
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 6260, this pair ranks #1,992,218 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of echten vs echter
Shared letters: ceht. Private to "echten": n. Private to "echter": r.
"echten" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "echter" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "echten" and "echter" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "echten" or "echter"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "echten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "echter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,992,218 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "echten" and "echter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Easter vs echter". 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 #1,992,218 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.