Which to use
“Instrument” and “Instruments” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,362
- “Instrument” frequency rank
- #21,652
- “Instruments” frequency rank
- 26014
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Instrument | Instruments |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | feines, kompliziertes Werkzeug; Gerät für wissenschaftliche Messungen oder Untersuchungen | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Instrument |
Where the eye mixes Instrument and Instruments
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Instrument and Instruments
A purely visual mix-up. Instrument ([ˌɪnstʁuˈmɛnt]) and Instruments ([ˌɪnstʁuˈmɛnt͡s]) 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) - “Instrument” sits inside “Instruments”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26014, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Instrument is recorded at frequency rank #4,362, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˌɪnstʁuˈmɛnt]. Instruments is at rank #21,652, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˌɪnstʁuˈmɛnt͡s].
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 26014, this pair ranks #1,824,548 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Instrument vs Instruments
Shared letters: eimnrstu. Private to "Instrument": -. Private to "Instruments": -.
"Instrument" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCVCC · "Instruments" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCVCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Instrument ← innstrument · insrtument · insstrument · instrmuent · instrrument · instruemnt · instrumennt · instrumentt
- Instruments ← innstruments · insrtuments · insstruments · instrmuents · instrruments · instruemnts · instrumennts · instrumenst
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Instrument" for "Instruments" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Instrument" or "Instruments" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Instrument" and "Instruments" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Instrument" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Instruments" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,824,548 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Instrument" and "Instruments" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Instrumental vs Instruments". 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 #1,824,548 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.