Which to use
“nächst” and “nächstem” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,782
- “nächst” frequency rank
- #44,828
- “nächstem” frequency rank
- 73610
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nächst | nächstem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in einer Reihenfolge nach dem aktuellen folgend | Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs nächst |
Where the eye mixes nächst and nächstem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. nächst runs 6 letters (CVCCCC) against nächstem's 8 (CVCCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between nächst and nächstem
A purely visual mix-up. nächst ([nɛːçst]) and nächstem ([ˈnɛːçstəm]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “nächst” sits inside “nächstem”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73610, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nächst is recorded at frequency rank #28,782, classified as anadj, pronounced [nɛːçst]. nächstem is at rank #44,828, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɛːçstəm].
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 73610, this pair ranks #355,645 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of nächst vs nächstem
Shared letters: chnstä. Private to "nächst": -. Private to "nächstem": em.
"nächst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC · "nächstem" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nächst" for "nächstem" ever safe?
Which is more common, "nächst" or "nächstem"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nächst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nächstem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #355,645 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nächst" and "nächstem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nächst vs nährt". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #355,645 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.