höchstemvshöchstenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#17,940
“höchstem” frequency rank
#2,303
“höchsten” frequency rank
20243
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature höchstem höchsten
Definition Dativ Singular Maskulinum Superlativ der starken Flexion des Adjektivs hoch Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs hoch

Where the eye mixes höchstem and höchsten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. höchstem and höchsten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

8 ch
höchstem
8 ch
höchsten

Visual trap between höchstem and höchsten

A purely visual mix-up. höchstem ([ˈhøːçstəm]) and höchsten ([ˈhøːçstn̩]) 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 - m in “höchstem” becomes n in “höchsten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20243, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

höchstem is recorded at frequency rank #17,940, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhøːçstəm]. höchsten is at rank #2,303, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhøːçstn̩].

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 20243, this pair ranks #1,899,786 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of höchstem vs höchsten

Shared letters: cehstö. Private to "höchstem": m. Private to "höchsten": n.

"höchstem" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC  ·  "höchsten" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "höchstem" and "höchsten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhøːçstəm] versus [ˈhøːçstn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "höchstem" or "höchsten"?
"höchsten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,303 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.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "höchstem" and "höchsten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "höchstem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "höchsten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,899,786 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "höchstem" and "höchsten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "höchstem vs höchstes". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,899,786 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