schwarzemvsschwarzesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“schwarzem” and “schwarzes” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#13,937
“schwarzem” frequency rank
#9,259
“schwarzes” frequency rank
23196
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schwarzem schwarzes
Definition Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schwarz Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schwarz

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schwarzem and schwarzes apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
schwarzem
9 ch
schwarzes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schwarzem ([ˈʃvaʁt͡sm̩]) and schwarzes ([ˈʃvaʁt͡səs]) 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 a single letter - m in “schwarzem” becomes s in “schwarzes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23196, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schwarzem is recorded at frequency rank #13,937, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃvaʁt͡sm̩]. schwarzes is at rank #9,259, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃvaʁt͡səs].

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 23196, this pair ranks #1,864,503 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schwarzem vs schwarzes

Shared letters: acehrswz. Private to "schwarzem": m. Private to "schwarzes": -.

"schwarzem" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC  ·  "schwarzes" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schwarzemcshwarzem · scchwarzem · schawrzem · schhwarzem · schwarezm · schwarrzem · schwarzemm · schwarzme
  • schwarzescshwarzes · scchwarzes · schawrzes · schhwarzes · schwarezs · schwarrzes · schwarzess · schwarzse

Frequency comparison

schwarzem#13,937
schwarzes#9,259

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schwarzem" and "schwarzes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃvaʁt͡sm̩] versus [ˈʃvaʁt͡səs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schwarzem" or "schwarzes"?
"schwarzes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,259 in our German list, against #13,937 for "schwarzem". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schwarzem vs schwarzes

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 “schwarzem” 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