DefinitionvsDefinitionenTell them apart

Which to use

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

#3,305
“Definition” frequency rank
#14,538
“Definitionen” frequency rank
17843
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Definition Definitionen
Definition (wissenschaftliche) Bestimmung; eindeutige Festlegung der Bedeutung eines Ausdrucks Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Definition

Where the eye mixes Definition and Definitionen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. Definition runs 10 letters (CVCVCVCVVC) against Definitionen's 12 (CVCVCVCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
Definition
12 ch
Definitionen

Why the eye confuses Definition with Definitionen

A purely visual mix-up. Definition ([ˌdefiniˈt͡si̯oːn]) and Definitionen ([ˌdefiniˈt͡si̯oːnən]) 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) - “Definition” sits inside “Definitionen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17843, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Definition is recorded at frequency rank #3,305, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˌdefiniˈt͡si̯oːn]. Definitionen is at rank #14,538, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˌdefiniˈt͡si̯oːnən].

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 17843, this pair ranks #1,923,755 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Definition vs Definitionen

Shared letters: definot. Private to "Definition": -. Private to "Definitionen": -.

"Definition" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCVVC  ·  "Definitionen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCVCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Definition ← ddefinition · deffinition · defiintion · definiiton · definitino · definitionn · definitoin · definittion
  • Definitionen ← ddefinitionen · deffinitionen · defiintionen · definiitonen · definitinoen · definitioenn · definitionenn · definitionne

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Definition" for "Definitionen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˌdefiniˈt͡si̯oːn] versus [ˌdefiniˈt͡si̯oːnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Definition" or "Definitionen"?
"Definition" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,305 in our German list, against #14,538 for "Definitionen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Definition" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Definitionen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,923,755 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Definition" and "Definitionen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Definition vs definitive". 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 #1,923,755 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