höchstevshöchstemTell them apart

Which to use

“höchste” and “höchstem” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,344
“höchste” frequency rank
#17,940
“höchstem” frequency rank
20284
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature höchste höchstem
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum Superlativ der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs hoch Dativ Singular Maskulinum Superlativ der starken Flexion des Adjektivs hoch

Where the eye mixes höchste and höchstem

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. höchste runs 7 letters (CVCCCCV) against höchstem's 8 (CVCCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
höchste
8 ch
höchstem

Why the eye confuses höchste with höchstem

A purely visual mix-up. höchste ([ˈhøːçstə]) and höchstem ([ˈhøːçstəm]) 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) - “höchste” sits inside “höchstem”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20284, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

höchste is recorded at frequency rank #2,344, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhøːçstə]. höchstem is at rank #17,940, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhøːçstəm].

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 20284, this pair ranks #1,899,359 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of höchste vs höchstem

Shared letters: cehstö. Private to "höchste": -. Private to "höchstem": m.

"höchste" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCV  ·  "höchstem" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "höchste" and "höchstem" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhøːçstə] versus [ˈhøːçstəm]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "höchste" vs "höchstem" - which ranks higher?
"höchste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,344 in our German list, against #17,940 for "höchstem". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "höchste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "höchstem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,899,359 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "höchste" and "höchstem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "höchstem vs höchstes". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,899,359 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list