Which to use
“selben” and “selbigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,712
- “selben” frequency rank
- #34,361
- “selbigen” frequency rank
- 36073
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | selben | selbigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Demonstrativpronomens selbe | Akkusativ Singular Maskulinum des Demonstrativpronomens selbig |
Where the eye mixes selben and selbigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: selben vs selbigen
A purely visual mix-up. selben ([ˈzɛlbn̩]) and selbigen ([ˈzɛlbɪɡn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36073, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
selben is recorded at frequency rank #1,712, classified as anunknown, pronounced [ˈzɛlbn̩]. selbigen is at rank #34,361, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [ˈzɛlbɪɡn̩].
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 36073, this pair ranks #1,624,608 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of selben vs selbigen
Shared letters: belns. Private to "selben": -. Private to "selbigen": gi.
"selben" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "selbigen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "selben" and "selbigen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "selben" or "selbigen"?
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 "selben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "selbigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,624,608 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "selben" and "selbigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "selbigen vs seliger". 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 #1,624,608 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.