sechstevssuchstWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: sechste is a num, suchst is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sechste” is a num and “suchst” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,364
“sechste” frequency rank
#6,011
“suchst” frequency rank
16375
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sechste suchst
Definition nach dem beziehungsweise der fünften kommend; dem siebten vorausgehend 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs suchen

Where the eye mixes sechste and suchst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
sechste
6 ch
suchst

Why the eye confuses sechste with suchst

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sechste is [ˈzɛkstə] while suchst is [zuːxst]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16375, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sechste is recorded at frequency rank #10,364, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈzɛkstə]. suchst is at rank #6,011, tagged as averb, pronounced [zuːxst].

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 16375, this pair ranks #1,936,374 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sechste vs suchst

Shared letters: chst. Private to "sechste": e. Private to "suchst": u.

"sechste" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCV  ·  "suchst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sechsteeschste · scehste · secchste · sechhste · sechset · sechsste · sechstte · sechtse
  • suchstscuhst · ssuchst · succhst · suchhst · suchsst · suchstt · suchts · sucsht

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sechste" and "suchst" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sechste" is a num and "suchst" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary German text, does "sechste" or "suchst" show up more?
"suchst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,011 in our German list, against #10,364 for "sechste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "sechste" and "suchst" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "sechste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "suchst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,936,374 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "sechste" and "suchst" 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 #1,936,374 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list