Which to use
“Gläser” is a noun and “gläsern” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,379
- “Gläser” frequency rank
- #23,962
- “gläsern” frequency rank
- 32341
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Gläser | gläsern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Glas | aus Glas bestehend, aus Glas gefertigt |
Where the eye mixes Gläser and gläsern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Gläser runs 6 letters (CCVCVC) against gläsern's 7 (CCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Gläser with gläsern
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Gläser is [ˈɡlɛːzɐ] while gläsern is [ˈɡlɛːzɐn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Gläser” sits inside “gläsern”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32341, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Gläser is recorded at frequency rank #8,379, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡlɛːzɐ]. gläsern is at rank #23,962, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡlɛːzɐn].
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 32341, this pair ranks #1,709,704 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Gläser vs gläsern
Shared letters: eglrsä. Private to "Gläser": -. Private to "gläsern": n.
"Gläser" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "gläsern" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Gläser" and "gläsern" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Gläser" or "gläsern"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Gläser" and "gläsern" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Gläser" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gläsern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,709,704 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Gläser" and "gläsern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gläsern vs Glasur". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,709,704 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.