Which to use
“Hummel” and “Hummeln” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,615
- “Hummel” frequency rank
- #36,407
- “Hummeln” frequency rank
- 54022
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hummel | Hummeln |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Vertreter einer Gattung aus der Familie der Echte Bienen mit plumpem, rundlichem Körper und einem pelzigen, häufig bunten Haarkleid (Bombus) | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Hummel |
Where the eye mixes Hummel and Hummeln
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Hummel and Hummeln
A purely visual mix-up. Hummel ([ˈhʊml̩]) and Hummeln ([ˈhʊml̩n]) 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) - “Hummel” sits inside “Hummeln”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54022, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Hummel is recorded at frequency rank #17,615, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhʊml̩]. Hummeln is at rank #36,407, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhʊml̩n].
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 54022, this pair ranks #1,035,150 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Hummel vs Hummeln
Shared letters: ehlmu. Private to "Hummel": -. Private to "Hummeln": n.
"Hummel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Hummeln" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Hummel" for "Hummeln" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Hummel" vs "Hummeln" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Hummel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Hummeln" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,035,150 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Hummel" and "Hummeln" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hemmen vs Hummeln". 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 #1,035,150 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.