Which to use
“wenigsten” is an adjective and “wenigstens” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,949
- “wenigsten” frequency rank
- #918
- “wenigstens” frequency rank
- 5867
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wenigsten | wenigstens |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs wenig | als wenigstes, mindestens |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set wenigsten and wenigstens apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: wenigsten is [ˈveːnɪçstn̩] while wenigstens is [ˈveːnɪçstn̩s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “wenigsten” sits inside “wenigstens”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5867, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wenigsten is recorded at frequency rank #4,949, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈveːnɪçstn̩]. wenigstens is at rank #918, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈveːnɪçstn̩s].
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 5867, this pair ranks #1,993,448 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of wenigsten vs wenigstens
Shared letters: eginstw. Private to "wenigsten": -. Private to "wenigstens": -.
"wenigsten" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCCVC · "wenigstens" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- wenigsten ← ewnigsten · weingsten · wengisten · weniggsten · wenigsetn · wenigssten · wenigstenn · wenigstne
- wenigstens ← ewnigstens · weingstens · wengistens · weniggstens · wenigsetns · wenigsstens · wenigstenns · wenigstenss
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "wenigsten" and "wenigstens" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "wenigsten" or "wenigstens"?
Remembering wenigsten vs wenigstens
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “wenigsten”; for an adverb, it's “wenigstens”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “wenigsten” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable