ArschvsÄrscheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,219
“Arsch” frequency rank
#27,150
“Ärsche” frequency rank
28369
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Arsch Ärsche
Definition für Hinterteil eines Tieres oder Menschen, Po, Gesäß Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Arsch

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Arsch and Ärsche apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Arsch
6 ch
Ärsche

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Arsch ([aʁʃ]) and Ärsche ([ˈɛʁʃə]) 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 28369, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Arsch is recorded at frequency rank #1,219, classified as anoun, pronounced [aʁʃ]. Ärsche is at rank #27,150, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛʁʃə].

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 28369, this pair ranks #1,786,010 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Arsch vs Ärsche

Shared letters: chrs. Private to "Arsch": a. Private to "Ärsche": .

"Arsch" · 5 letters · shape VCCCC  ·  "Ärsche" · 6 letters · shape VCCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Arscharcsh · arrsch · arscch · arschh · arshc · arssch · asrch

Frequency comparison

Arsch#1,219
Ärsche#27,150

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Arsch" and "Ärsche" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aʁʃ] versus [ˈɛʁʃə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Arsch" or "Ärsche"?
"Arsch" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,219 in our German list, against #27,150 for "Ärsche". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Arsch vs Ärsche

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Arsch” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list