Which to use
“negativ” and “negatives” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,271
- “negativ” frequency rank
- #15,954
- “negatives” frequency rank
- 19225
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | negativ | negatives |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ungünstig oder sogar deutlich schlecht | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs negativ |
Where the eye mixes negativ and negatives
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. negativ runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against negatives's 9 (CVCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses negativ with negatives
A purely visual mix-up. negativ ([ˈneːɡatiːf]) and negatives ([ˈneːɡatiːvəs]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “negativ” sits inside “negatives”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19225, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
negativ is recorded at frequency rank #3,271, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈneːɡatiːf]. negatives is at rank #15,954, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈneːɡatiːvəs].
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 19225, this pair ranks #1,910,561 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of negativ vs negatives
Shared letters: aegintv. Private to "negativ": -. Private to "negatives": s.
"negativ" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "negatives" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "negativ" for "negatives" ever safe?
Which is more common, "negativ" or "negatives"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "negativ" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "negatives" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,910,561 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "negativ" and "negatives" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "natives vs negatives". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,910,561 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.