DenkmalvsDenkmälerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,405
“Denkmal” frequency rank
#16,674
“Denkmäler” frequency rank
23079
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Denkmal Denkmäler
Definition Objekt, das errichtet wurde, um an eine bestimmte Person, ein Geschehen oder Ähnliches zu erinnern Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Denkmal

Where the eye mixes Denkmal and Denkmäler

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Denkmal runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against Denkmäler's 9 (CVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Denkmal
9 ch
Denkmäler

Visual trap between Denkmal and Denkmäler

A purely visual mix-up. Denkmal ([ˈdɛŋkˌmaːl]) and Denkmäler ([ˈdɛŋkˌmɛːlɐ]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23079, 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]. Denkmäler is at rank #16,674, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈdɛŋkˌmɛːlɐ].

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 23079, this pair ranks #1,866,034 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Denkmal vs Denkmäler

Shared letters: deklmn. Private to "Denkmal": a. Private to "Denkmäler": rä.

"Denkmal" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "Denkmäler" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Denkmal ← ddenkmal · deknmal · denkaml · denkkmal · denkmall · denkmla · denkmmal · denmkal

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Denkmal" for "Denkmäler" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdɛŋkˌmaːl] versus [ˈdɛŋkˌmɛːlɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Denkmal" vs "Denkmäler" - which ranks higher?
"Denkmal" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,405 in our German list, against #16,674 for "Denkmäler". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Denkmal" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Denkmäler" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,866,034 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Denkmal" and "Denkmäler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Denkmale vs Denkmäler". 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 #1,866,034 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