nächstemvsnächsterWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#44,828
“nächstem” frequency rank
#4,544
“nächster” frequency rank
49372
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nächstem nächster
Definition Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs nächst Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs nah / nahe

Where the eye mixes nächstem and nächster

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. nächstem and nächster follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

8 ch
nächstem
8 ch
nächster

Look-alike desk: nächstem vs nächster

A purely visual mix-up. nächstem ([ˈnɛːçstəm]) 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 a single letter - m in “nächstem” becomes r in “nächster”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49372, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nächstem is recorded at frequency rank #44,828, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɛːçstəm]. 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 49372, this pair ranks #1,213,942 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nächstem vs nächster

Shared letters: cehnstä. Private to "nächstem": m. Private to "nächster": r.

"nächstem" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC  ·  "nächster" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "nächstem" for "nächster" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnɛːçstəm] versus [ˈnɛːçstɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "nächstem" vs "nächster" - which ranks higher?
"nächster" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,544 in our German list, against #44,828 for "nächstem". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "nächstem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "nächster" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,213,942 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "nächstem" and "nächster" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nächst vs nächstem". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,213,942 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