Which to use
“extern” and “externer” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,863
- “extern” frequency rank
- #23,926
- “externer” frequency rank
- 50789
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | extern | externer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | außerhalb eines bestimmten implizit mitdefinierten Bezugsystems | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs extern |
Where the eye mixes extern and externer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between extern and externer
A purely visual mix-up. extern ([ˌɛksˈtɛʁn]) and externer ([ˌɛksˈtɛʁnɐ]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “extern” sits inside “externer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50789, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
extern is recorded at frequency rank #26,863, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˌɛksˈtɛʁn]. externer is at rank #23,926, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌɛksˈtɛʁnɐ].
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 50789, this pair ranks #1,160,408 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of extern vs externer
Shared letters: enrtx. Private to "extern": -. Private to "externer": -.
"extern" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "externer" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "extern" and "externer" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "extern" vs "externer" - which ranks higher?
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 "extern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "externer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,160,408 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "extern" and "externer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Exoten vs extern". 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 #1,160,408 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.