Which to use
“Nachfolger” and “Nachfolgern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,670
- “Nachfolger” frequency rank
- #34,822
- “Nachfolgern” frequency rank
- 37492
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Nachfolger | Nachfolgern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemand, der künftig die Position einer bestimmten Person einnimmt | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Nachfolger |
Where the eye mixes Nachfolger and Nachfolgern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. Nachfolger runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCCVC) against Nachfolgern's 11 (CVCCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Nachfolger with Nachfolgern
A purely visual mix-up. Nachfolger ([ˈnaːxˌfɔlɡɐ]) and Nachfolgern ([ˈnaːxˌfɔlɡɐn]) 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) - “Nachfolger” sits inside “Nachfolgern”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37492, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Nachfolger is recorded at frequency rank #2,670, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈnaːxˌfɔlɡɐ]. Nachfolgern is at rank #34,822, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnaːxˌfɔlɡɐn].
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 37492, this pair ranks #1,588,768 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Nachfolger vs Nachfolgern
Shared letters: acefghlnor. Private to "Nachfolger": -. Private to "Nachfolgern": -.
"Nachfolger" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC · "Nachfolgern" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Nachfolger ← anchfolger · nacchfolger · nacfholger · nachffolger · nachfloger · nachfogler · nachfolegr · nachfolgerr
- Nachfolgern ← anchfolgern · nacchfolgern · nacfholgern · nachffolgern · nachflogern · nachfoglern · nachfolegrn · nachfolgenr
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Nachfolger" for "Nachfolgern" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Nachfolger" or "Nachfolgern" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Nachfolger" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Nachfolgern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,588,768 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Nachfolger" and "Nachfolgern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Nachfolgern vs Nachfolgers". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,588,768 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.