FeuerwehrvsFeuerwehrenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#2,648
“Feuerwehr” frequency rank
#16,419
“Feuerwehren” frequency rank
19067
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Feuerwehr Feuerwehren
Definition berufsmäßig oder freiwillig aufgebaute Mannschaft zur Brandbekämpfung, für Notfälle, Katastrophenschutz und andere Aufgaben Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Feuerwehr

Where the eye mixes Feuerwehr and Feuerwehren

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Feuerwehr runs 9 letters (CVVVCCVCC) against Feuerwehren's 11 (CVVVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
Feuerwehr
11 ch
Feuerwehren

Why the eye confuses Feuerwehr with Feuerwehren

A purely visual mix-up. Feuerwehr ([ˈfɔɪ̯ɐˌveːɐ̯]) and Feuerwehren ([ˈfɔɪ̯ɐveːʁən]) 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) - “Feuerwehr” sits inside “Feuerwehren”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19067, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Feuerwehr is recorded at frequency rank #2,648, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɔɪ̯ɐˌveːɐ̯]. Feuerwehren is at rank #16,419, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɔɪ̯ɐveːʁən].

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 19067, this pair ranks #1,912,159 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Feuerwehr vs Feuerwehren

Shared letters: efhruw. Private to "Feuerwehr": -. Private to "Feuerwehren": n.

"Feuerwehr" · 9 letters · shape CVVVCCVCC  ·  "Feuerwehren" · 11 letters · shape CVVVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Feuerwehr ← efuerwehr · feeurwehr · feuerewhr · feuerrwehr · feuerwehhr · feuerwehrr · feuerwerh · feuerwher
  • Feuerwehren ← efuerwehren · feeurwehren · feuerewhren · feuerrwehren · feuerwehern · feuerwehhren · feuerwehrenn · feuerwehrne

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Feuerwehr" for "Feuerwehren" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɔɪ̯ɐˌveːɐ̯] versus [ˈfɔɪ̯ɐveːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Feuerwehr" vs "Feuerwehren" - which ranks higher?
"Feuerwehr" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,648 in our German list, against #16,419 for "Feuerwehren". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Feuerwehr" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Feuerwehren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,912,159 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Feuerwehr" and "Feuerwehren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Feuerwehr vs Feuerwerk". 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 #1,912,159 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