sechsvssechsteWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sechs and sechste apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
sechs
7 ch
sechste

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • sechseschs · scehs · secchs · sechhs · sechss · secsh · sehcs · ssechs
  • sechsteeschste · scehste · secchste · sechhste · sechset · sechsste · sechstte · sechtse

Frequency comparison

sechs#650
sechste#10,364

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sechs" and "sechste" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([zɛks] versus [ˈzɛkstə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sechs" or "sechste"?
"sechs" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #650 in our German list, against #10,364 for "sechste". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering sechs vs sechste

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 “sechs” 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