höchstenvshöchstesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,303
“höchsten” frequency rank
#27,357
“höchstes” frequency rank
29660
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature höchsten höchstes
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs hoch Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs hoch

Where the eye mixes höchsten and höchstes

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

8 ch
höchsten
8 ch
höchstes

Why the eye confuses höchsten with höchstes

A purely visual mix-up. höchsten ([ˈhøːçstn̩]) and höchstes ([ˈhøːçstəs]) 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 “höchsten” becomes s in “höchstes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29660, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

höchsten is recorded at frequency rank #2,303, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhøːçstn̩]. höchstes is at rank #27,357, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhøːçstəs].

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 29660, this pair ranks #1,762,646 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of höchsten vs höchstes

Shared letters: cehstö. Private to "höchsten": n. Private to "höchstes": -.

"höchsten" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC  ·  "höchstes" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "höchsten" and "höchstes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhøːçstn̩] versus [ˈhøːçstəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "höchsten" vs "höchstes" - which ranks higher?
"höchsten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,303 in our German list, against #27,357 for "höchstes". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "höchsten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "höchstes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,762,646 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "höchsten" and "höchstes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "höchstem vs höchstes". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,762,646 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