Which to use
“schärfste” and “schärfsten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,759
- “schärfste” frequency rank
- #30,758
- “schärfsten” frequency rank
- 56517
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schärfste | schärfsten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs scharf | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs scharf |
Where the eye mixes schärfste and schärfsten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses schärfste with schärfsten
A purely visual mix-up. schärfste ([ˈʃɛʁfstə]) and schärfsten ([ˈʃɛʁfstn̩]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “schärfste” sits inside “schärfsten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56517, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schärfste is recorded at frequency rank #25,759, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃɛʁfstə]. schärfsten is at rank #30,758, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃɛʁfstn̩].
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 56517, this pair ranks #937,119 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schärfste vs schärfsten
Shared letters: cefhrstä. Private to "schärfste": -. Private to "schärfsten": n.
"schärfste" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCCCV · "schärfsten" · 10 letters · shape CCCVCCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schärfste" and "schärfsten" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "schärfste" or "schärfsten" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "schärfste" and "schärfsten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "schärfste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schärfsten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #937,119 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schärfste" and "schärfsten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schärfere vs schärfste". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #937,119 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.