nächstevsnächstenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#721
“nächste” frequency rank
#436
“nächsten” frequency rank
1157
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nächste nächsten
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum Superlativ der starken Flexion des Adjektivs nah / nahe Superlativ Prädikativ des Adjektivs nah

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nächste and nächsten apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
nächste
8 ch
nächsten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. nächste ([ˈnɛːçstə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “nächste” sits inside “nächsten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1157, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nächste is recorded at frequency rank #721, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɛːçstə]. 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 1157, this pair ranks #2,004,809 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of nächste vs nächsten

Shared letters: cehnstä. Private to "nächste": -. Private to "nächsten": -.

"nächste" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCV  ·  "nächsten" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC

Frequency comparison

nächste#721
nächsten#436

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nächste" and "nächsten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnɛːçstə] versus [ˈnɛːçstən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "nächste" or "nächsten"?
"nächsten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #436 in our German list, against #721 for "nächste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nächste vs nächsten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nächste” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list