selbständigevsselbständigenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“selbständige” and “selbständigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#11,323
“selbständige” frequency rank
#13,692
“selbständigen” frequency rank
25015
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature selbständige selbständigen
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs selbständig Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs selbständig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set selbständige and selbständigen apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
selbständige
13 ch
selbständigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. selbständige ([ˈzɛlpʃtɛndɪɡə]) and selbständigen ([ˈzɛlpʃtɛndɪɡn̩]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “selbständige” sits inside “selbständigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25015, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

selbständige is recorded at frequency rank #11,323, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɛlpʃtɛndɪɡə]. selbständigen is at rank #13,692, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɛlpʃtɛndɪɡn̩].

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 25015, this pair ranks #1,839,349 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of selbständige vs selbständigen

Shared letters: bdegilnstä. Private to "selbständige": -. Private to "selbständigen": -.

"selbständige" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVCV  ·  "selbständigen" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

selbständige#11,323
selbständigen#13,692

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "selbständige" and "selbständigen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzɛlpʃtɛndɪɡə] versus [ˈzɛlpʃtɛndɪɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "selbständige" or "selbständigen"?
"selbständige" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,323 in our German list, against #13,692 for "selbständigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering selbständige vs selbständigen

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 “selbständige” 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