Which to use
“Ampel” and “Ämter” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,435
- “Ampel” frequency rank
- #9,489
- “Ämter” frequency rank
- 16924
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ampel | Ämter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (kleinere, schalenförmige) von der Decke hängende Lampe | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Amt |
Where the eye mixes Ampel and Ämter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Ampel vs Ämter
A purely visual mix-up. Ampel ([ˈampl̩]) and Ämter ([ˈɛmtɐ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16924, 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]. Ämter is at rank #9,489, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛmtɐ].
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 16924, this pair ranks #1,931,894 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ampel vs Ämter
Shared letters: em. Private to "Ampel": alp. Private to "Ämter": rtä.
"Ampel" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "Ämter" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Ampel ← amepl · ammpel · ampell · ample · amppel · apmel · mapel
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Ampel" and "Ämter" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Ampel" or "Ämter"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ampel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Ämter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,931,894 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ampel" and "Ämter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ämter vs Auster". 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 #1,931,894 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.