Which to use
“selbstständig” and “selbstständige” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,110
- “selbstständig” frequency rank
- #11,750
- “selbstständige” frequency rank
- 18860
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | selbstständig | selbstständige |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ohne Hilfe anderer (auskommend) | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs selbstständig |
Where the eye mixes selbstständig and selbstständige
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 13 letters in sequence. selbstständig runs 13 letters (CVCCCCCCVCCVC) against selbstständige's 14 (CVCCCCCCVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between selbstständig and selbstständige
A purely visual mix-up. selbstständig ([ˈzɛlpstʃtɛndɪç]) and selbstständige ([ˈzɛlpstʃtɛndɪɡə]) 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) - “selbstständig” sits inside “selbstständige”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18860, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
selbstständig is recorded at frequency rank #7,110, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɛlpstʃtɛndɪç]. selbstständige is at rank #11,750, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɛlpstʃtɛndɪɡə].
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 18860, this pair ranks #1,914,178 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of selbstständig vs selbstständige
Shared letters: bdegilnstä. Private to "selbstständig": -. Private to "selbstständige": -.
"selbstständig" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCCCCVCCVC · "selbstständige" · 14 letters · shape CVCCCCCCVCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "selbstständig" and "selbstständige" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "selbstständig" vs "selbstständige" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "selbstständig" and "selbstständige" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "selbstständig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "selbstständige" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,914,178 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "selbstständig" and "selbstständige" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "selbstständige vs selbstständiges". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,914,178 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.