ArbeitnehmervsArbeitnehmersWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Arbeitnehmer” and “Arbeitnehmers” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#3,704
“Arbeitnehmer” frequency rank
#32,912
“Arbeitnehmers” frequency rank
36616
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Arbeitnehmer Arbeitnehmers
Definition jemand, der bei einer Firma eingestellt ist und für seine Arbeit bezahlt wird Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Arbeitnehmer

Where the eye mixes Arbeitnehmer and Arbeitnehmers

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. Arbeitnehmer runs 12 letters (VCCVVCCVCCVC) against Arbeitnehmers's 13 (VCCVVCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

12 ch
Arbeitnehmer
13 ch
Arbeitnehmers

Visual trap between Arbeitnehmer and Arbeitnehmers

A purely visual mix-up. Arbeitnehmer ([ˈaʁbaɪ̯tˌneːmɐ]) and Arbeitnehmers ([ˈaʁbaɪ̯tˌneːmɐs]) 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) - “Arbeitnehmer” sits inside “Arbeitnehmers”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36616, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Arbeitnehmer is recorded at frequency rank #3,704, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tˌneːmɐ]. Arbeitnehmers is at rank #32,912, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tˌneːmɐs].

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 36616, this pair ranks #1,611,019 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Arbeitnehmer vs Arbeitnehmers

Shared letters: abehimnrt. Private to "Arbeitnehmer": -. Private to "Arbeitnehmers": s.

"Arbeitnehmer" · 12 letters · shape VCCVVCCVCCVC  ·  "Arbeitnehmers" · 13 letters · shape VCCVVCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Arbeitnehmer ← abreitnehmer · arbbeitnehmer · arbeintehmer · arbeitenhmer · arbeitnehemr · arbeitnehhmer · arbeitnehmerr · arbeitnehmmer
  • Arbeitnehmers ← abreitnehmers · arbbeitnehmers · arbeintehmers · arbeitenhmers · arbeitnehemrs · arbeitnehhmers · arbeitnehmerrs · arbeitnehmerss

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Arbeitnehmer" for "Arbeitnehmers" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaʁbaɪ̯tˌneːmɐ] versus [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tˌneːmɐs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Arbeitnehmer" or "Arbeitnehmers"?
"Arbeitnehmer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,704 in our German list, against #32,912 for "Arbeitnehmers". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Arbeitnehmer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Arbeitnehmers" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,611,019 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Arbeitnehmer" and "Arbeitnehmers" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Arbeitnehmern vs Arbeitnehmers". 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 #1,611,019 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list