Which to use
“positiv” and “positivem” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,523
- “positiv” frequency rank
- #33,764
- “positivem” frequency rank
- 35287
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | positiv | positivem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erfreulich, erwünscht, wünschenswert; gut | Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs positiv |
Where the eye mixes positiv and positivem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. positiv runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against positivem's 9 (CVCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses positiv with positivem
A purely visual mix-up. positiv ([ˈpoːzitiːf]) and positivem ([ˈpoːzitiːvm̩]) 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) - “positiv” sits inside “positivem”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35287, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
positiv is recorded at frequency rank #1,523, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈpoːzitiːf]. positivem is at rank #33,764, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈpoːzitiːvm̩].
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 35287, this pair ranks #1,643,531 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of positiv vs positivem
Shared letters: iopstv. Private to "positiv": -. Private to "positivem": em.
"positiv" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "positivem" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "positiv" and "positivem" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "positiv" vs "positivem" - which ranks higher?
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 "positiv" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "positivem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,643,531 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "positiv" and "positivem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "positivem vs positiver". 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 #1,643,531 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.