GeburtstagevsGeburtstagenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,980
“Geburtstage” frequency rank
#45,955
“Geburtstagen” frequency rank
67935
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Geburtstage Geburtstagen
Definition Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Geburtstag Dativ Plural des Substantivs Geburtstag

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Geburtstage and Geburtstagen apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
Geburtstage
12 ch
Geburtstagen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Geburtstage ([ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːɡə]) and Geburtstagen ([ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːɡn̩]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “Geburtstage” sits inside “Geburtstagen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67935, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Geburtstage is recorded at frequency rank #21,980, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːɡə]. Geburtstagen is at rank #45,955, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːɡn̩].

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 67935, this pair ranks #523,993 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Geburtstage vs Geburtstagen

Shared letters: abegrstu. Private to "Geburtstage": -. Private to "Geburtstagen": n.

"Geburtstage" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVCV  ·  "Geburtstagen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Geburtstageegburtstage · gbeurtstage · gebburtstage · gebrutstage · geburrtstage · gebursttage · geburtsatge · geburtsstage
  • Geburtstagenegburtstagen · gbeurtstagen · gebburtstagen · gebrutstagen · geburrtstagen · gebursttagen · geburtsatgen · geburtsstagen

Frequency comparison

Geburtstage#21,980
Geburtstagen#45,955

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Geburtstage" and "Geburtstagen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːɡə] versus [ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Geburtstage" or "Geburtstagen"?
"Geburtstage" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,980 in our German list, against #45,955 for "Geburtstagen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Geburtstage vs Geburtstagen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Geburtstage” 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