JahrtausendvsJahrtausendeWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#23,580
“Jahrtausend” frequency rank
#26,060
“Jahrtausende” frequency rank
49640
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Jahrtausend Jahrtausende
Definition die Zeitspanne von 1000 Jahren Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Jahrtausend

Where the eye mixes Jahrtausend and Jahrtausende

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

11 ch
Jahrtausend
12 ch
Jahrtausende

Look-alike desk: Jahrtausend vs Jahrtausende

A purely visual mix-up. Jahrtausend ([jaːɐ̯ˈtaʊ̯zn̩t]) and Jahrtausende ([jaːɐ̯ˈtaʊ̯zn̩də]) 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) - “Jahrtausend” sits inside “Jahrtausende”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49640, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Jahrtausend is recorded at frequency rank #23,580, classified as anoun, pronounced [jaːɐ̯ˈtaʊ̯zn̩t]. Jahrtausende is at rank #26,060, tagged as anoun, pronounced [jaːɐ̯ˈtaʊ̯zn̩də].

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 49640, this pair ranks #1,203,835 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Jahrtausend vs Jahrtausende

Shared letters: adehjnrstu. Private to "Jahrtausend": -. Private to "Jahrtausende": -.

"Jahrtausend" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVCC  ·  "Jahrtausende" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Jahrtausend ← ajhrtausend · jahhrtausend · jahratusend · jahrrtausend · jahrtasuend · jahrtauesnd · jahrtausedn · jahrtausendd
  • Jahrtausende ← ajhrtausende · jahhrtausende · jahratusende · jahrrtausende · jahrtasuende · jahrtauesnde · jahrtausedne · jahrtausendde

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Jahrtausend" for "Jahrtausende" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([jaːɐ̯ˈtaʊ̯zn̩t] versus [jaːɐ̯ˈtaʊ̯zn̩də]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Jahrtausend" or "Jahrtausende"?
"Jahrtausend" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,580 in our German list, against #26,060 for "Jahrtausende". 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 "Jahrtausend" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Jahrtausende" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,203,835 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Jahrtausend" and "Jahrtausende" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Jahrtausende vs Jahrtausends". 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 #1,203,835 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