sonstigenvsSonstigesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: sonstigen is a adjective, Sonstiges is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sonstigen” is an adjective and “Sonstiges” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,425
“sonstigen” frequency rank
#8,946
“Sonstiges” frequency rank
14371
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sonstigen Sonstiges
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs sonstig das Andere, Übrige, Andersartige vor allem in Aufzählungen und Listen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sonstigen and Sonstiges apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
sonstigen
9 ch
Sonstiges

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sonstigen is [ˈzɔnstɪɡn̩] while Sonstiges is [ˈzɔnstɪɡəs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “sonstigen” becomes s in “Sonstiges”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14371, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sonstigen is recorded at frequency rank #5,425, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɔnstɪɡn̩]. Sonstiges is at rank #8,946, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈzɔnstɪɡəs].

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 14371, this pair ranks #1,951,660 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sonstigen vs Sonstiges

Shared letters: eginost. Private to "sonstigen": -. Private to "Sonstiges": -.

"sonstigen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC  ·  "Sonstiges" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sonstigenosnstigen · snostigen · sonnstigen · sonsitgen · sonsstigen · sonstgien · sonstiegn · sonstigenn
  • Sonstigesosnstiges · snostiges · sonnstiges · sonsitges · sonsstiges · sonstgies · sonstiegs · sonstigess

Frequency comparison

sonstigen#5,425
Sonstiges#8,946

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sonstigen" and "Sonstiges" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sonstigen" is an adjective and "Sonstiges" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sonstigen" or "Sonstiges"?
"sonstigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,425 in our German list, against #8,946 for "Sonstiges". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sonstigen vs Sonstiges

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “sonstigen”; for a noun, it's “Sonstiges”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sonstigen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list