Which to use
“nächste” and “nächstem” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #721
- “nächste” frequency rank
- #44,828
- “nächstem” frequency rank
- 45549
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nächste | nächstem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum Superlativ der starken Flexion des Adjektivs nah / nahe | Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs nächst |
Where the eye mixes nächste and nächstem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. nächste runs 7 letters (CVCCCCV) against nächstem's 8 (CVCCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses nächste with nächstem
A purely visual mix-up. nächste ([ˈnɛːçstə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “nächste” sits inside “nächstem”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45549, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nächste is recorded at frequency rank #721, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɛːçstə]. 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 45549, this pair ranks #1,349,263 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nächste vs nächstem
Shared letters: cehnstä. Private to "nächste": -. Private to "nächstem": m.
"nächste" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCV · "nächstem" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nächste" for "nächstem" ever safe?
Frequency check: "nächste" vs "nächstem" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nächste" 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 #1,349,263 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nächste" and "nächstem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nächst vs nächstem". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,349,263 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.