GeburtstagenvsGeburtstagsWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#45,955
“Geburtstagen” frequency rank
#21,263
“Geburtstags” frequency rank
67218
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Geburtstagen Geburtstags
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Geburtstag Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Geburtstag

Where the eye mixes Geburtstagen and Geburtstags

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. Geburtstagen runs 12 letters (CVCVCCCCVCVC) against Geburtstags's 11 (CVCVCCCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

12 ch
Geburtstagen
11 ch
Geburtstags

Why the eye confuses Geburtstagen with Geburtstags

A purely visual mix-up. Geburtstagen ([ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːɡn̩]) and Geburtstags ([ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːks]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67218, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Geburtstagen is recorded at frequency rank #45,955, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːɡn̩]. Geburtstags is at rank #21,263, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːks].

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 67218, this pair ranks #547,409 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Geburtstagen vs Geburtstags

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

"Geburtstagen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVCVC  ·  "Geburtstags" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Geburtstagen ← egburtstagen · gbeurtstagen · gebburtstagen · gebrutstagen · geburrtstagen · gebursttagen · geburtsatgen · geburtsstagen
  • Geburtstags ← egburtstags · gbeurtstags · gebburtstags · gebrutstags · geburrtstags · gebursttags · geburtsatgs · geburtsstags

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Geburtstagen" and "Geburtstags" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːɡn̩] versus [ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːks]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Geburtstagen" or "Geburtstags" show up more?
"Geburtstags" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,263 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.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Geburtstagen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Geburtstags" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #547,409 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Geburtstagen" and "Geburtstags" 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 #547,409 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