HausfrauvsHausfrauenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,448
“Hausfrau” frequency rank
#20,612
“Hausfrauen” frequency rank
32060
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Hausfrau Hausfrauen
Definition ihren eigenen Haushalt führende und besorgende Frau Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Hausfrau

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Hausfrau and Hausfrauen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
Hausfrau
10 ch
Hausfrauen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Hausfrau ([ˈhaʊ̯sˌfʁaʊ̯]) and Hausfrauen ([ˈhaʊ̯sˌfʁaʊ̯ən]) 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) - “Hausfrau” sits inside “Hausfrauen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32060, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Hausfrau is recorded at frequency rank #11,448, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhaʊ̯sˌfʁaʊ̯]. Hausfrauen is at rank #20,612, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhaʊ̯sˌfʁaʊ̯ən].

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 32060, this pair ranks #1,715,504 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Hausfrau vs Hausfrauen

Shared letters: afhrsu. Private to "Hausfrau": -. Private to "Hausfrauen": en.

"Hausfrau" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCCVV  ·  "Hausfrauen" · 10 letters · shape CVVCCCVVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Hausfrauahusfrau · hasufrau · haufsrau · hausfaru · hausffrau · hausfrrau · hausfrua · hausrfau
  • Hausfrauenahusfrauen · hasufrauen · haufsrauen · hausfaruen · hausffrauen · hausfraeun · hausfrauenn · hausfraune

Frequency comparison

Hausfrau#11,448
Hausfrauen#20,612

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Hausfrau" and "Hausfrauen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhaʊ̯sˌfʁaʊ̯] versus [ˈhaʊ̯sˌfʁaʊ̯ən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Hausfrau" or "Hausfrauen"?
"Hausfrau" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,448 in our German list, against #20,612 for "Hausfrauen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Hausfrau vs Hausfrauen

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 “Hausfrau” 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