NachfolgervsNachfolgersWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#2,670
“Nachfolger” frequency rank
#35,930
“Nachfolgers” frequency rank
38600
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Nachfolger Nachfolgers
Definition jemand, der künftig die Position einer bestimmten Person einnimmt Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Nachfolger

Where the eye mixes Nachfolger and Nachfolgers

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. Nachfolger runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCCVC) against Nachfolgers's 11 (CVCCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
Nachfolger
11 ch
Nachfolgers

Why the eye confuses Nachfolger with Nachfolgers

A purely visual mix-up. Nachfolger ([ˈnaːxˌfɔlɡɐ]) and Nachfolgers ([ˈnaːxˌfɔlɡɐs]) 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 “Nachfolgers”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38600, 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]. Nachfolgers is at rank #35,930, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnaːxˌfɔlɡɐs].

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 38600, this pair ranks #1,559,697 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Nachfolger vs Nachfolgers

Shared letters: acefghlnor. Private to "Nachfolger": -. Private to "Nachfolgers": s.

"Nachfolger" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "Nachfolgers" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Nachfolger ← anchfolger · nacchfolger · nacfholger · nachffolger · nachfloger · nachfogler · nachfolegr · nachfolgerr
  • Nachfolgers ← anchfolgers · nacchfolgers · nacfholgers · nachffolgers · nachflogers · nachfoglers · nachfolegrs · nachfolgerrs

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Nachfolger" and "Nachfolgers" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnaːxˌfɔlɡɐ] versus [ˈnaːxˌfɔlɡɐs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Nachfolger" vs "Nachfolgers" - which ranks higher?
"Nachfolger" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,670 in our German list, against #35,930 for "Nachfolgers". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Nachfolger" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Nachfolgers" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,559,697 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Nachfolger" and "Nachfolgers" 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 #1,559,697 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