HindernisvsHindernisseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,299
“Hindernis” frequency rank
#11,896
“Hindernisse” frequency rank
22195
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Hindernis Hindernisse
Definition Gegenstand, der das Weiterkommen verhindert oder behindert Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Hindernis

Where the eye mixes Hindernis and Hindernisse

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Hindernis runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against Hindernisse's 11 (CVCCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
Hindernis
11 ch
Hindernisse

Visual trap between Hindernis and Hindernisse

A purely visual mix-up. Hindernis ([ˈhɪndɐnɪs]) and Hindernisse ([ˈhɪndɐnɪsə]) 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) - “Hindernis” sits inside “Hindernisse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22195, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Hindernis is recorded at frequency rank #10,299, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɪndɐnɪs]. Hindernisse is at rank #11,896, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɪndɐnɪsə].

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 22195, this pair ranks #1,877,133 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Hindernis vs Hindernisse

Shared letters: dehinrs. Private to "Hindernis": -. Private to "Hindernisse": -.

"Hindernis" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "Hindernisse" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Hindernis ← hhindernis · hidnernis · hinddernis · hindenris · hinderins · hinderniss · hindernnis · hindernsi
  • Hindernisse ← hhindernisse · hidnernisse · hinddernisse · hindenrisse · hinderinsse · hindernise · hindernises · hinderniße

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Hindernis" and "Hindernisse" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɪndɐnɪs] versus [ˈhɪndɐnɪsə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Hindernis" vs "Hindernisse" - which ranks higher?
"Hindernis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,299 in our German list, against #11,896 for "Hindernisse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "Hindernis" and "Hindernisse" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Hindernis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Hindernisse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,877,133 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Hindernis" and "Hindernisse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hindernisse vs Hindernissen". 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 #1,877,133 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