jüngstvsjüngstenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: jüngst is a adverb, jüngsten is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“jüngst” is an adverb and “jüngsten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,740
“jüngst” frequency rank
#5,274
“jüngsten” frequency rank
18014
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature jüngst jüngsten
Definition vor kurzem Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs jung

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set jüngst and jüngsten apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
jüngst
8 ch
jüngsten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: jüngst is [jʏŋst] while jüngsten is [ˈjʏŋstn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “jüngst” sits inside “jüngsten”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18014, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

jüngst is recorded at frequency rank #12,740, classified as anadv, pronounced [jʏŋst]. jüngsten is at rank #5,274, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈjʏŋstn̩].

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 18014, this pair ranks #1,922,198 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of jüngst vs jüngsten

Shared letters: gjnstü. Private to "jüngst": -. Private to "jüngsten": e.

"jüngst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC  ·  "jüngsten" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC

Frequency comparison

jüngst#12,740
jüngsten#5,274

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "jüngst" and "jüngsten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "jüngst" is an adverb and "jüngsten" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "jüngst" or "jüngsten"?
"jüngsten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,274 in our German list, against #12,740 for "jüngst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering jüngst vs jüngsten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “jüngst”; for an adjective, it's “jüngsten”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “jüngst” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list