Which to use
“selektiv” and “selektive” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,289
- “selektiv” frequency rank
- #31,788
- “selektive” frequency rank
- 65077
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | selektiv | selektive |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Auswahl treffend und deshalb nur bestimmt Dinge betreffend, die den Auswahlkriterien entsprechen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs selektiv |
Where the eye mixes selektiv and selektive
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. selektiv runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against selektive's 9 (CVCVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between selektiv and selektive
A purely visual mix-up. selektiv ([zelɛkˈtiːf]) and selektive ([zelɛkˈtiːvə]) 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) - “selektiv” sits inside “selektive”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65077, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
selektiv is recorded at frequency rank #33,289, classified as anadj, pronounced [zelɛkˈtiːf]. selektive is at rank #31,788, tagged as anadj, pronounced [zelɛkˈtiːvə].
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 65077, this pair ranks #619,324 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of selektiv vs selektive
Shared letters: eiklstv. Private to "selektiv": -. Private to "selektive": -.
"selektiv" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "selektive" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "selektiv" and "selektive" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "selektiv" or "selektive"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "selektiv" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "selektive" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #619,324 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "selektiv" and "selektive" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Selektion vs selektiv". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #619,324 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.