Which to use
“schnellste” and “schnellsten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,165
- “schnellste” frequency rank
- #11,320
- “schnellsten” frequency rank
- 21485
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schnellste | schnellsten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs schnell | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs schnell |
Where the eye mixes schnellste and schnellsten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. schnellste runs 10 letters (CCCCVCCCCV) against schnellsten's 11 (CCCCVCCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses schnellste with schnellsten
A purely visual mix-up. schnellste ([ˈʃnɛlstə]) and schnellsten ([ˈʃnɛlstn̩]) 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) - “schnellste” sits inside “schnellsten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21485, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schnellste is recorded at frequency rank #10,165, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃnɛlstə]. schnellsten is at rank #11,320, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃnɛlstn̩].
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 21485, this pair ranks #1,885,726 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schnellste vs schnellsten
Shared letters: cehlnst. Private to "schnellste": -. Private to "schnellsten": -.
"schnellste" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCCCV · "schnellsten" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schnellste ← cshnellste · scchnellste · schenllste · schhnellste · schnellset · schnellsste · schnellstte · schnelltse
- schnellsten ← cshnellsten · scchnellsten · schenllsten · schhnellsten · schnellsetn · schnellssten · schnellstenn · schnellstne
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schnellste" for "schnellsten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "schnellste" vs "schnellsten" - which ranks higher?
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 "schnellste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schnellsten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,885,726 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schnellste" and "schnellsten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schnellsten vs schnellstens". 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 #1,885,726 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.