DenkmalvsDenkmaleWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,405
“Denkmal” frequency rank
#46,564
“Denkmale” frequency rank
52969
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Denkmal Denkmale
Definition Objekt, das errichtet wurde, um an eine bestimmte Person, ein Geschehen oder Ähnliches zu erinnern Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Denkmal

Where the eye mixes Denkmal and Denkmale

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Denkmal runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against Denkmale's 8 (CVCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Denkmal
8 ch
Denkmale

Why the eye confuses Denkmal with Denkmale

A purely visual mix-up. Denkmal ([ˈdɛŋkˌmaːl]) and Denkmale ([ˈdɛŋkˌmaːlə]) 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) - “Denkmal” sits inside “Denkmale”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52969, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Denkmal is recorded at frequency rank #6,405, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈdɛŋkˌmaːl]. Denkmale is at rank #46,564, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈdɛŋkˌmaːlə].

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 52969, this pair ranks #1,076,153 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Denkmal vs Denkmale

Shared letters: adeklmn. Private to "Denkmal": -. Private to "Denkmale": -.

"Denkmal" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "Denkmale" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Denkmal ← ddenkmal · deknmal · denkaml · denkkmal · denkmall · denkmla · denkmmal · denmkal
  • Denkmale ← ddenkmale · deknmale · denkamle · denkkmale · denkmael · denkmalle · denkmlae · denkmmale

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Denkmal" and "Denkmale" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdɛŋkˌmaːl] versus [ˈdɛŋkˌmaːlə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Denkmal" or "Denkmale"?
"Denkmal" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,405 in our German list, against #46,564 for "Denkmale". 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 "Denkmal" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Denkmale" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,076,153 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Denkmal" and "Denkmale" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "denkbare vs Denkmale". 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 #1,076,153 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