ErmittlungvsErmittlungenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#8,197
“Ermittlung” frequency rank
#4,194
“Ermittlungen” frequency rank
12391
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ermittlung Ermittlungen
Definition Aktivität, um noch Unbekanntes festzustellen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Ermittlung

Where the eye mixes Ermittlung and Ermittlungen

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

10 ch
Ermittlung
12 ch
Ermittlungen

Look-alike desk: Ermittlung vs Ermittlungen

A purely visual mix-up. Ermittlung ([ɛɐ̯ˈmɪtlʊŋ]) and Ermittlungen ([ɛɐ̯ˈmɪtlʊŋən]) 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) - “Ermittlung” sits inside “Ermittlungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12391, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Ermittlung is recorded at frequency rank #8,197, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈmɪtlʊŋ]. Ermittlungen is at rank #4,194, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈmɪtlʊŋən].

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 12391, this pair ranks #1,964,457 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Ermittlung vs Ermittlungen

Shared letters: egilmnrtu. Private to "Ermittlung": -. Private to "Ermittlungen": -.

"Ermittlung" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCC  ·  "Ermittlungen" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Ermittlung ← emrittlung · erimttlung · ermitltung · ermitlung · ermittllung · ermittlnug · ermittlugn · ermittlungg
  • Ermittlungen ← emrittlungen · erimttlungen · ermitltungen · ermitlungen · ermittllungen · ermittlnugen · ermittlugnen · ermittlunegn

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Ermittlung" and "Ermittlungen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈmɪtlʊŋ] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈmɪtlʊŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Ermittlung" vs "Ermittlungen" - which ranks higher?
"Ermittlungen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,194 in our German list, against #8,197 for "Ermittlung". 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 "Ermittlung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Ermittlungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,964,457 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • 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 #1,964,457 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