HauptaufgabevsHauptaufgabenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,556
“Hauptaufgabe” frequency rank
#48,207
“Hauptaufgaben” frequency rank
71763
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Hauptaufgabe Hauptaufgaben
Definition wichtigste Aufgabe Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Hauptaufgabe

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Hauptaufgabe and Hauptaufgaben apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
Hauptaufgabe
13 ch
Hauptaufgaben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Hauptaufgabe ([ˈhaʊ̯ptʔaʊ̯fˌɡaːbə]) and Hauptaufgaben ([ˈhaʊ̯ptʔaʊ̯fˌɡaːbn̩]) 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) - “Hauptaufgabe” sits inside “Hauptaufgaben”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71763, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Hauptaufgabe is recorded at frequency rank #23,556, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhaʊ̯ptʔaʊ̯fˌɡaːbə]. Hauptaufgaben is at rank #48,207, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhaʊ̯ptʔaʊ̯fˌɡaːbn̩].

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 71763, this pair ranks #407,506 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Hauptaufgabe vs Hauptaufgaben

Shared letters: abefghptu. Private to "Hauptaufgabe": -. Private to "Hauptaufgaben": n.

"Hauptaufgabe" · 12 letters · shape CVVCCVVCCVCV  ·  "Hauptaufgaben" · 13 letters · shape CVVCCVVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Hauptaufgabeahuptaufgabe · haputaufgabe · haupatufgabe · haupptaufgabe · hauptafugabe · hauptaufagbe · hauptauffgabe · hauptaufgabbe
  • Hauptaufgabenahuptaufgaben · haputaufgaben · haupatufgaben · haupptaufgaben · hauptafugaben · hauptaufagben · hauptauffgaben · hauptaufgabben

Frequency comparison

Hauptaufgabe#23,556
Hauptaufgaben#48,207

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Hauptaufgabe" and "Hauptaufgaben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhaʊ̯ptʔaʊ̯fˌɡaːbə] versus [ˈhaʊ̯ptʔaʊ̯fˌɡaːbn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Hauptaufgabe" or "Hauptaufgaben"?
"Hauptaufgabe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,556 in our German list, against #48,207 for "Hauptaufgaben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Hauptaufgabe vs Hauptaufgaben

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 “Hauptaufgabe” 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