jüngstvsjüngstesWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#12,740
“jüngst” frequency rank
#35,261
“jüngstes” frequency rank
48001
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature jüngst jüngstes
Definition vor kurzem Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs jung

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
jüngst
8 ch
jüngstes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: jüngst is [jʏŋst] while jüngstes is [ˈjʏŋstəs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “jüngst” sits inside “jüngstes”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48001, 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]. jüngstes is at rank #35,261, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈjʏŋstəs].

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 48001, this pair ranks #1,264,386 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of jüngst vs jüngstes

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

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

Frequency comparison

jüngst#12,740
jüngstes#35,261

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "jüngst" and "jüngstes" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "jüngst" is an adverb and "jüngstes" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "jüngst" or "jüngstes"?
"jüngst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,740 in our German list, against #35,261 for "jüngstes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering jüngst vs jüngstes

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 “jüngstes”.
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list