Which to use
“selbstständig” and “selbstständigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,110
- “selbstständig” frequency rank
- #17,128
- “selbstständigen” frequency rank
- 24238
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | selbstständig | selbstständigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ohne Hilfe anderer (auskommend) | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs selbstständig |
Where the eye mixes selbstständig and selbstständigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 13 letters in sequence. selbstständig runs 13 letters (CVCCCCCCVCCVC) against selbstständigen's 15 (CVCCCCCCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses selbstständig with selbstständigen
A purely visual mix-up. selbstständig ([ˈzɛlpstʃtɛndɪç]) and selbstständigen ([ˈzɛlpstʃtɛndɪɡn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “selbstständig” sits inside “selbstständigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24238, 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]. selbstständigen is at rank #17,128, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɛlpstʃtɛndɪɡn̩].
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 24238, this pair ranks #1,850,504 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of selbstständig vs selbstständigen
Shared letters: bdegilnstä. Private to "selbstständig": -. Private to "selbstständigen": -.
"selbstständig" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCCCCVCCVC · "selbstständigen" · 15 letters · shape CVCCCCCCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "selbstständig" and "selbstständigen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "selbstständig" or "selbstständigen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "selbstständig" and "selbstständigen" 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 "selbstständigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,850,504 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "selbstständig" and "selbstständigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "selbstständigen vs selbstständiges". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,850,504 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.