Which to use
“selbständig” and “selbstständig” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,170
- “selbständig” frequency rank
- #7,110
- “selbstständig” frequency rank
- 17280
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | selbständig | selbstständig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ohne Hilfe anderer oder Anleitung (auskommend) | ohne Hilfe anderer (auskommend) |
Where the eye mixes selbständig and selbstständig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. selbständig runs 11 letters (CVCCCCVCCVC) against selbstständig's 13 (CVCCCCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between selbständig and selbstständig
A purely visual mix-up. selbständig ([ˈzɛlpʃtɛndɪç]) and selbstständig ([ˈzɛlpstʃtɛndɪç]) 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 17280, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
selbständig is recorded at frequency rank #10,170, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɛlpʃtɛndɪç]. selbstständig is at rank #7,110, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɛlpstʃtɛndɪç].
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 17280, this pair ranks #1,928,784 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of selbständig vs selbstständig
Shared letters: bdegilnstä. Private to "selbständig": -. Private to "selbstständig": -.
"selbständig" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC · "selbstständig" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "selbständig" for "selbstständig" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "selbständig" or "selbstständig" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "selbständig" and "selbstständig" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "selbständig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "selbstständig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,928,784 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "selbständig" and "selbstständig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "selbstständig vs selbstständiges". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,928,784 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.