CharakterenvsCharaktersWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,840
“Charakteren” frequency rank
#20,544
“Charakters” frequency rank
38384
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Charakteren Charakters
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Charakter Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Charakter

Where the eye mixes Charakteren and Charakters

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Charakteren runs 11 letters (CCVCVCCVCVC) against Charakters's 10 (CCVCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch
Charakteren
10 ch
Charakters

Why the eye confuses Charakteren with Charakters

A purely visual mix-up. Charakteren ([kaʁakˈteːʁən]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38384, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Charakteren is recorded at frequency rank #17,840, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaʁakˈteːʁən]. 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 38384, this pair ranks #1,565,398 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Charakteren vs Charakters

Shared letters: acehkrt. Private to "Charakteren": n. Private to "Charakters": s.

"Charakteren" · 11 letters · shape CCVCVCCVCVC  ·  "Charakters" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Charakteren ← cahrakteren · ccharakteren · chaarkteren · charaketren · charakkteren · charakteern · charakterenn · charakterne
  • Charakters ← cahrakters · ccharakters · chaarkters · charaketrs · charakkters · charakterrs · charakterss · charaktesr

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Charakteren" and "Charakters" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([kaʁakˈteːʁən] versus [kaˈʁaktɐs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Charakteren" or "Charakters"?
"Charakteren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,840 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.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Charakteren" 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 #1,565,398 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Charakteren" and "Charakters" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Charaktere vs Charakters". 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 #1,565,398 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