Which to use
“selber” and “selbst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #756
- “selber” frequency rank
- #122
- “selbst” frequency rank
- 878
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | selber | selbst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | persönlich | persönlich (immer in Kontrast zu anderen Möglichkeiten, die im Kontext enthalten sind) |
Where the eye mixes selber and selbst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses selber with selbst
A purely visual mix-up. selber ([ˈzɛlbɐ]) and selbst ([zɛlpst]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 878, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
selber is recorded at frequency rank #756, classified as apron, pronounced [ˈzɛlbɐ]. selbst is at rank #122, tagged as apron, pronounced [zɛlpst].
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 878, this pair ranks #2,005,222 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of selber vs selbst
Shared letters: bels. Private to "selber": r. Private to "selbst": t.
"selber" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "selbst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "selber" and "selbst" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "selber" or "selbst"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "selber" and "selbst" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "selber" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "selbst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,005,222 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "selber" and "selbst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "selber vs Sperber". 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 #2,005,222 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.