HindernissevsHindernissenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,896
“Hindernisse” frequency rank
#27,348
“Hindernissen” frequency rank
39244
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Hindernisse Hindernissen
Definition Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Hindernis Dativ Plural des Substantivs Hindernis

Where the eye mixes Hindernisse and Hindernissen

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

11 ch
Hindernisse
12 ch
Hindernissen

Look-alike desk: Hindernisse vs Hindernissen

A purely visual mix-up. Hindernisse ([ˈhɪndɐnɪsə]) and Hindernissen ([ˈhɪndɐnɪsn̩]) 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) - “Hindernisse” sits inside “Hindernissen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39244, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Hindernisse is recorded at frequency rank #11,896, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɪndɐnɪsə]. Hindernissen is at rank #27,348, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɪndɐnɪsn̩].

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 39244, this pair ranks #1,542,069 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Hindernisse vs Hindernissen

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

"Hindernisse" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCV  ·  "Hindernissen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Hindernisse ← hhindernisse · hidnernisse · hinddernisse · hindenrisse · hinderinsse · hindernise · hindernises · hinderniße
  • Hindernissen ← hhindernissen · hidnernissen · hinddernissen · hindenrissen · hinderinssen · hindernisen · hindernisesn · hindernissenn

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Hindernisse" and "Hindernissen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɪndɐnɪsə] versus [ˈhɪndɐnɪsn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Hindernisse" vs "Hindernissen" - which ranks higher?
"Hindernisse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,896 in our German list, against #27,348 for "Hindernissen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Hindernisse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Hindernissen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,542,069 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Hindernisse" and "Hindernissen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hindernis vs Hindernisse". 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 #1,542,069 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