CharaktervsCharaktersWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#2,100
“Charakter” frequency rank
#20,544
“Charakters” frequency rank
22644
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Charakter Charakters
Definition Gesamtheit der angeborenen und anerzogenen, geistig-seelischen Eigenschaften eines Menschen (Charaktereigenschaften) Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Charakter

Where the eye mixes Charakter and Charakters

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Charakter runs 9 letters (CCVCVCCVC) against Charakters's 10 (CCVCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
Charakter
10 ch
Charakters

Visual trap between Charakter and Charakters

A purely visual mix-up. Charakter ([kaˈʁaktɐ]) and Charakters ([kaˈʁaktɐs]) 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) - “Charakter” sits inside “Charakters”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22644, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Charakter is recorded at frequency rank #2,100, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaˈʁaktɐ]. Charakters is at rank #20,544, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kaˈʁaktɐs].

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 22644, this pair ranks #1,871,582 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Charakter vs Charakters

Shared letters: acehkrt. Private to "Charakter": -. Private to "Charakters": s.

"Charakter" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCCVC  ·  "Charakters" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Charakter ← cahrakter · ccharakter · chaarkter · charaketr · charakkter · charakterr · charaktre · charaktter
  • Charakters ← cahrakters · ccharakters · chaarkters · charaketrs · charakkters · charakterrs · charakterss · charaktesr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Charakter" for "Charakters" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([kaˈʁaktɐ] versus [kaˈʁaktɐs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Charakter" or "Charakters"?
"Charakter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,100 in our German list, against #20,544 for "Charakters". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "Charakter" and "Charakters" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Charakter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Charakters" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,871,582 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Charakter" and "Charakters" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Charakter vs charter". 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 #1,871,582 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