Which to use
“sechs” and “sechste” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #650
- “sechs” frequency rank
- #10,364
- “sechste” frequency rank
- 11014
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sechs | sechste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sechs, die Zahl zwischen fünf und sieben | nach dem beziehungsweise der fünften kommend; dem siebten vorausgehend |
Where the eye mixes sechs and sechste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. sechs runs 5 letters (CVCCC) against sechste's 7 (CVCCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: sechs vs sechste
A purely visual mix-up. sechs ([zɛks]) and sechste ([ˈzɛkstə]) 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) - “sechs” sits inside “sechste”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11014, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sechs is recorded at frequency rank #650, classified as anum, pronounced [zɛks]. sechste is at rank #10,364, tagged as anum, pronounced [ˈzɛkstə].
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 11014, this pair ranks #1,972,150 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sechs vs sechste
Shared letters: cehs. Private to "sechs": -. Private to "sechste": t.
"sechs" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "sechste" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sechs" for "sechste" ever safe?
Which is more common, "sechs" or "sechste"?
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 "sechs" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sechste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,972,150 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sechs" and "sechste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sechser vs sechste". 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 #1,972,150 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.