nächstenvsnächstesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#436
“nächsten” frequency rank
#2,033
“nächstes” frequency rank
2469
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nächsten nächstes
Definition Superlativ Prädikativ des Adjektivs nah Nominativ Singular Neutrum Superlativ der starken Flexion des Adjektivs nah / nahe

Where the eye mixes nächsten and nächstes

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

8 ch
nächsten
8 ch
nächstes

Look-alike desk: nächsten vs nächstes

A purely visual mix-up. nächsten ([ˈnɛːçstən]) and nächstes ([ˈnɛːçstəs]) 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 - n in “nächsten” becomes s in “nächstes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2469, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nächsten is recorded at frequency rank #436, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɛːçstən]. nächstes is at rank #2,033, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɛːçstəs].

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 2469, this pair ranks #2,002,274 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of nächsten vs nächstes

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

"nächsten" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC  ·  "nächstes" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "nächsten" for "nächstes" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnɛːçstən] versus [ˈnɛːçstəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "nächsten" or "nächstes"?
"nächsten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #436 in our German list, against #2,033 for "nächstes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "nächsten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "nächstes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #2,002,274 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "nächsten" and "nächstes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Nachsitzen vs nächsten". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #2,002,274 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