GeburtstagvsGeburtstagesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#1,449
“Geburtstag” frequency rank
#30,566
“Geburtstages” frequency rank
32015
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Geburtstag Geburtstages
Definition dem Kalender entsprechende Angabe des Tages (nebst Monat und Jahr), an dem eine Person geboren wird; Tag von jemandes Geburt Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Geburtstag

Where the eye mixes Geburtstag and Geburtstages

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

10 ch
Geburtstag
12 ch
Geburtstages

Visual trap between Geburtstag and Geburtstages

A purely visual mix-up. Geburtstag ([ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːk]) and Geburtstages ([ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːɡəs]) 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) - “Geburtstag” sits inside “Geburtstages”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32015, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Geburtstag is recorded at frequency rank #1,449, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːk]. Geburtstages is at rank #30,566, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːɡəs].

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 32015, this pair ranks #1,716,516 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Geburtstag vs Geburtstages

Shared letters: abegrstu. Private to "Geburtstag": -. Private to "Geburtstages": -.

"Geburtstag" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVC  ·  "Geburtstages" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Geburtstag ← egburtstag · gbeurtstag · gebburtstag · gebrutstag · geburrtstag · gebursttag · geburtsatg · geburtsstag
  • Geburtstages ← egburtstages · gbeurtstages · gebburtstages · gebrutstages · geburrtstages · gebursttages · geburtsatges · geburtsstages

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Geburtstag" for "Geburtstages" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːk] versus [ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːɡəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Geburtstag" vs "Geburtstages" - which ranks higher?
"Geburtstag" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,449 in our German list, against #30,566 for "Geburtstages". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "Geburtstag" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Geburtstages" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,716,516 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Geburtstag" and "Geburtstages" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Geburtstagen vs Geburtstages". 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 #1,716,516 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