Which to use
“Arbeitskraft” and “Arbeitskräfte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,631
- “Arbeitskraft” frequency rank
- #12,450
- “Arbeitskräfte” frequency rank
- 29081
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Arbeitskraft | Arbeitskräfte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (körperliche) Arbeit leistender Mensch | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Arbeitskraft |
Where the eye mixes Arbeitskraft and Arbeitskräfte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. Arbeitskraft runs 12 letters (VCCVVCCCCVCC) against Arbeitskräfte's 13 (VCCVVCCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Arbeitskraft and Arbeitskräfte
A purely visual mix-up. Arbeitskraft ([ˈaʁbaɪ̯t͡sˌkʁaft]) and Arbeitskräfte ([ˈaʁbaɪ̯t͡sˌkʁɛftə]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29081, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Arbeitskraft is recorded at frequency rank #16,631, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʁbaɪ̯t͡sˌkʁaft]. Arbeitskräfte is at rank #12,450, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʁbaɪ̯t͡sˌkʁɛftə].
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 29081, this pair ranks #1,773,404 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Arbeitskraft vs Arbeitskräfte
Shared letters: abefikrst. Private to "Arbeitskraft": -. Private to "Arbeitskräfte": ä.
"Arbeitskraft" · 12 letters · shape VCCVVCCCCVCC · "Arbeitskräfte" · 13 letters · shape VCCVVCCCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Arbeitskraft ← abreitskraft · arbbeitskraft · arbeistkraft · arbeitksraft · arbeitskarft · arbeitskkraft · arbeitskrafft · arbeitskraftt
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Arbeitskraft" for "Arbeitskräfte" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Arbeitskraft" or "Arbeitskräfte" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Arbeitskraft" and "Arbeitskräfte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Arbeitskraft" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Arbeitskräfte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,773,404 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Arbeitskraft" and "Arbeitskräfte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Arbeitskraft vs Arbeitskräften". 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 #1,773,404 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.