Which to use
“selbstständig” and “selbstständiges” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,110
- “selbstständig” frequency rank
- #46,988
- “selbstständiges” frequency rank
- 54098
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | selbstständig | selbstständiges |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ohne Hilfe anderer (auskommend) | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs selbstständig |
Where the eye mixes selbstständig and selbstständiges
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 13 letters in sequence. selbstständig runs 13 letters (CVCCCCCCVCCVC) against selbstständiges's 15 (CVCCCCCCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between selbstständig and selbstständiges
A purely visual mix-up. selbstständig ([ˈzɛlpstʃtɛndɪç]) and selbstständiges ([ˈzɛlpstʃtɛndɪɡəs]) 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 “selbstständiges”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54098, 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]. selbstständiges is at rank #46,988, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɛlpstʃtɛndɪɡəs].
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 54098, this pair ranks #1,032,192 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of selbstständig vs selbstständiges
Shared letters: bdegilnstä. Private to "selbstständig": -. Private to "selbstständiges": -.
"selbstständig" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCCCCVCCVC · "selbstständiges" · 15 letters · shape CVCCCCCCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "selbstständig" and "selbstständiges" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "selbstständig" or "selbstständiges" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "selbstständig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "selbstständiges" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,032,192 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "selbstständig" and "selbstständiges" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "selbstständiger vs selbstständiges". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,032,192 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.