AutoritätvsAutoritätenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,987
“Autorität” frequency rank
#30,935
“Autoritäten” frequency rank
39922
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Autorität Autoritäten
Definition maßgebender Einfluss, Geltung, Ansehen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Autorität

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Autorität and Autoritäten apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
Autorität
11 ch
Autoritäten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Autorität ([aʊ̯toʁiˈtɛːt]) and Autoritäten ([aʊ̯toʁiˈtɛːtn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Autorität” sits inside “Autoritäten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39922, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Autorität is recorded at frequency rank #8,987, classified as anoun, pronounced [aʊ̯toʁiˈtɛːt]. Autoritäten is at rank #30,935, tagged as anoun, pronounced [aʊ̯toʁiˈtɛːtn̩].

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 39922, this pair ranks #1,523,079 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Autorität vs Autoritäten

Shared letters: aiortuä. Private to "Autorität": -. Private to "Autoritäten": en.

"Autorität" · 9 letters · shape VVCVCVCVC  ·  "Autoritäten" · 11 letters · shape VVCVCVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

Autorität#8,987
Autoritäten#30,935

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Autorität" and "Autoritäten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aʊ̯toʁiˈtɛːt] versus [aʊ̯toʁiˈtɛːtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Autorität" or "Autoritäten"?
"Autorität" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,987 in our German list, against #30,935 for "Autoritäten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Autorität vs Autoritäten

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 “Autorität” 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