Which to use
“elfte” is a num and “elften” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,024
- “elfte” frequency rank
- #18,868
- “elften” frequency rank
- 49892
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | elfte | elften |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nach dem beziehungsweise der zehnten kommend; dem zwölften vorausgehend | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs elfte |
Where the eye mixes elfte and elften
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: elfte vs elften
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: elfte is [ˈɛlftə] while elften is [ˈɛlftn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “elfte” sits inside “elften”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49892, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
elfte is recorded at frequency rank #31,024, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈɛlftə]. elften is at rank #18,868, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛlftn̩].
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 49892, this pair ranks #1,194,432 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of elfte vs elften
Shared letters: eflt. Private to "elfte": -. Private to "elften": n.
"elfte" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV · "elften" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "elfte" and "elften" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "elfte" or "elften"?
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 "elfte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "elften" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,194,432 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "elfte" and "elften" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Elfe vs elfte". 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 #1,194,432 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.