nächstvsnächstenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#28,782
“nächst” frequency rank
#436
“nächsten” frequency rank
29218
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nächst nächsten
Definition in einer Reihenfolge nach dem aktuellen folgend Superlativ Prädikativ des Adjektivs nah

Where the eye mixes nächst and nächsten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. nächst runs 6 letters (CVCCCC) against nächsten's 8 (CVCCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
nächst
8 ch
nächsten

Why the eye confuses nächst with nächsten

A purely visual mix-up. nächst ([nɛːçst]) and nächsten ([ˈnɛːçstən]) 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 “nächsten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29218, 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]. nächsten is at rank #436, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɛːçstən].

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 29218, this pair ranks #1,770,914 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of nächst vs nächsten

Shared letters: chnstä. Private to "nächst": -. Private to "nächsten": e.

"nächst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC  ·  "nächsten" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "nächst" and "nächsten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([nɛːçst] versus [ˈnɛːçstən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "nächst" vs "nächsten" - which ranks higher?
"nächsten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #436 in our German list, against #28,782 for "nächst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "nächst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "nächsten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,770,914 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "nächst" and "nächsten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nächst vs nächstem". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,770,914 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