HolzesvsHolzwegWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#33,645
“Holzes” frequency rank
#46,039
“Holzweg” frequency rank
79684
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Holzes Holzweg
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Holz ein Weg, der primär dem Abtransport von Holz dient und der häufig unvermittelt im Wald endet

Where the eye mixes Holzes and Holzweg

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Holzes runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Holzweg's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Holzes
7 ch
Holzweg

Why the eye confuses Holzes with Holzweg

A purely visual mix-up. Holzes ([ˈhɔlt͡səs]) and Holzweg ([ˈhɔlt͡sˌveːk]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79684, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Holzes is recorded at frequency rank #33,645, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɔlt͡səs]. Holzweg is at rank #46,039, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɔlt͡sˌveːk].

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 79684, this pair ranks #211,307 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Holzes vs Holzweg

Shared letters: ehloz. Private to "Holzes": s. Private to "Holzweg": gw.

"Holzes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Holzweg" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Holzes ← hholzes · hlozes · holezs · hollzes · holzess · holzse · holzzes · hozles
  • Holzweg ← hholzweg · hlozweg · hollzweg · holwzeg · holzewg · holzwegg · holzwge · holzwweg

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Holzes" for "Holzweg" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɔlt͡səs] versus [ˈhɔlt͡sˌveːk]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Holzes" vs "Holzweg" - which ranks higher?
"Holzes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,645 in our German list, against #46,039 for "Holzweg". 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 "Holzes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Holzweg" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #211,307 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Holzes" and "Holzweg" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "holde vs Holzes". 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 #211,307 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