Which to use
“seltenen” and “seltensten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,622
- “seltenen” frequency rank
- #30,764
- “seltensten” frequency rank
- 39386
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | seltenen | seltensten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs selten | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs selten |
Where the eye mixes seltenen and seltensten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. seltenen runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against seltensten's 10 (CVCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between seltenen and seltensten
A purely visual mix-up. seltenen ([ˈzɛltənən]) and seltensten ([ˈzɛltn̩stən]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39386, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
seltenen is recorded at frequency rank #8,622, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɛltənən]. seltensten is at rank #30,764, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɛltn̩stən].
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 39386, this pair ranks #1,538,257 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of seltenen vs seltensten
Shared letters: elnst. Private to "seltenen": -. Private to "seltensten": -.
"seltenen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "seltensten" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- seltenen ← esltenen · seletnen · selltenen · selteenn · seltenenn · seltennen · seltneen · selttenen
- seltensten ← esltensten · seletnsten · selltensten · seltennsten · seltensetn · seltenssten · seltenstenn · seltenstne
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "seltenen" and "seltensten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "seltenen" vs "seltensten" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "seltenen" and "seltensten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "seltenen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "seltensten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,538,257 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "seltenen" and "seltensten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "seltenen vs seltenes". 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 #1,538,257 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.