nächste vs nächster, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#721
“nächste” frequency rank: #4,544
“nächster” frequency rank: 5265
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	nächste	nächster
Definition	Nominativ Singular Femininum Superlativ der starken Flexion des Adjektivs nah / nahe	Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs nah / nahe

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch

8 ch

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. nächste ([ˈnɛːçstə]) and nächster ([ˈnɛːçstɐ]) 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 “nächster”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5265, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nächste is recorded at frequency rank #721, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɛːçstə]. nächster is at rank #4,544, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɛːçstɐ].

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 5265, this pair ranks #1,995,312 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of nächste vs nächster

Shared letters: cehnstä. Private to "nächste": -. Private to "nächster": r.

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

Frequency comparison

nächste#721

nächster#4,544

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nächste" and "nächster" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈnɛːçstə] versus [ˈnɛːçstɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "nächste" or "nächster"?

"nächste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #721 in our German list, against #4,544 for "nächster". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nächste vs nächster

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