Which to use
“externen” and “externer” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,276
- “externen” frequency rank
- #23,926
- “externer” frequency rank
- 34202
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | externen | externer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs extern | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs extern |
Where the eye mixes externen and externer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between externen and externer
A purely visual mix-up. externen ([ˌɛksˈtɛʁnən]) 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 a single letter - n in “externen” becomes r in “externer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34202, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
externen is recorded at frequency rank #10,276, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˌɛksˈtɛʁnən]. 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 34202, this pair ranks #1,668,765 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of externen vs externer
Shared letters: enrtx. Private to "externen": -. Private to "externer": -.
"externen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "externer" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "externen" and "externer" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "externen" vs "externer" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "externen" 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 #1,668,765 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "externen" and "externer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "externer vs externes". 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 #1,668,765 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.