Which to use
“Hoffmann” is a name and “Hoffmanns” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,088
- “Hoffmann” frequency rank
- #46,038
- “Hoffmanns” frequency rank
- 51126
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hoffmann | Hoffmanns |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | deutschsprachiger Familienname, Nachname | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Hoffmann |
Where the eye mixes Hoffmann and Hoffmanns
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Hoffmann vs Hoffmanns
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Hoffmann is [ˈhɔfˌman] while Hoffmanns is [ˈhɔfˌmans]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Hoffmann” sits inside “Hoffmanns”, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51126, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Hoffmann is recorded at frequency rank #5,088, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈhɔfˌman]. Hoffmanns is at rank #46,038, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɔfˌmans].
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 51126, this pair ranks #1,147,459 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Hoffmann vs Hoffmanns
Shared letters: afhmno. Private to "Hoffmann": -. Private to "Hoffmanns": s.
"Hoffmann" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC · "Hoffmanns" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Hoffmann" and "Hoffmanns" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Hoffmann" or "Hoffmanns" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Hoffmann" and "Hoffmanns" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Hoffmann" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Hoffmanns" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,147,459 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Hoffmann" and "Hoffmanns" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hoffmanns vs Hofmann". 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 #1,147,459 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.