DortmundvsDortmundsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Dortmund is a name, Dortmunds is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Dortmund” is a name and “Dortmunds” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,763
“Dortmund” frequency rank
#41,748
“Dortmunds” frequency rank
43511
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Dortmund Dortmunds
Definition Großstadt im Ruhrgebiet im westfälischen Landesteil Nordrhein-Westfalens, Deutschland Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Dortmund

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Dortmund and Dortmunds apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
Dortmund
9 ch
Dortmunds

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Dortmund is [ˈdɔʁtmʊnt] while Dortmunds is [ˈdɔʁtmʊnts]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Dortmund” sits inside “Dortmunds”, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43511, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Dortmund is recorded at frequency rank #1,763, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈdɔʁtmʊnt]. Dortmunds is at rank #41,748, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈdɔʁtmʊnts].

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 43511, this pair ranks #1,415,760 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Dortmund vs Dortmunds

Shared letters: dmnortu. Private to "Dortmund": -. Private to "Dortmunds": s.

"Dortmund" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC  ·  "Dortmunds" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Dortmundddortmund · dormtund · dorrtmund · dortmmund · dortmnud · dortmudn · dortmundd · dortmunnd
  • Dortmundsddortmunds · dormtunds · dorrtmunds · dortmmunds · dortmnuds · dortmudns · dortmundds · dortmundss

Frequency comparison

Dortmund#1,763
Dortmunds#41,748

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Dortmund" and "Dortmunds" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Dortmund" is a name and "Dortmunds" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Dortmund" or "Dortmunds"?
"Dortmund" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,763 in our German list, against #41,748 for "Dortmunds". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Dortmund vs Dortmunds

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Dortmund”; for a noun, it's “Dortmunds”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Dortmund” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list