Which to use
“Ampel” and “Ampeln” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,435
- “Ampel” frequency rank
- #19,120
- “Ampeln” frequency rank
- 26555
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ampel | Ampeln |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (kleinere, schalenförmige) von der Decke hängende Lampe | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Ampel |
Where the eye mixes Ampel and Ampeln
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Ampel with Ampeln
A purely visual mix-up. Ampel ([ˈampl̩]) and Ampeln ([ˈampl̩n]) 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) - “Ampel” sits inside “Ampeln”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26555, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ampel is recorded at frequency rank #7,435, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈampl̩]. Ampeln is at rank #19,120, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈampl̩n].
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 26555, this pair ranks #1,816,219 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ampel vs Ampeln
Shared letters: aelmp. Private to "Ampel": -. Private to "Ampeln": n.
"Ampel" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "Ampeln" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Ampel" and "Ampeln" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Ampel" or "Ampeln"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Ampel" and "Ampeln" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ampel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Ampeln" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,816,219 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ampel" and "Ampeln" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ampeln vs apel". 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 #1,816,219 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.