positivvspositivemWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

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

7 ch
positiv
9 ch
positivem

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • positivopsitiv · poistiv · posiitv · positivv · posittiv · positvi · possitiv · postiiv
  • positivemopsitivem · poistivem · posiitvem · positievm · positivemm · positivme · positivvem · posittivem

Frequency comparison

positiv#1,523
positivem#33,764

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "positiv" and "positivem" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpoːzitiːf] versus [ˈpoːzitiːvm̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "positiv" or "positivem"?
"positiv" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,523 in our German list, against #33,764 for "positivem". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering positiv vs positivem

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 “positiv” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list