Which to use
“finster” and “finstere” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,932
- “finster” frequency rank
- #31,545
- “finstere” frequency rank
- 55477
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | finster | finstere |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sehr dunkel | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs finster |
Where the eye mixes finster and finstere
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. finster runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against finstere's 8 (CVCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: finster vs finstere
A purely visual mix-up. finster ([ˈfɪnstɐ]) and finstere ([ˈfɪnstəʁə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “finster” sits inside “finstere”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55477, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
finster is recorded at frequency rank #23,932, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈfɪnstɐ]. finstere is at rank #31,545, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfɪnstəʁə].
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 55477, this pair ranks #978,033 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of finster vs finstere
Shared letters: efinrst. Private to "finster": -. Private to "finstere": -.
"finster" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "finstere" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "finster" and "finstere" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "finster" or "finstere"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "finster" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "finstere" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #978,033 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "finster" and "finstere" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "feinster vs finstere". 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 #978,033 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.