JakobvsJakobsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Jakob is a name, Jakobs is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Jakob” is a name and “Jakobs” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,802
“Jakob” frequency rank
#27,366
“Jakobs” frequency rank
32168
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Jakob Jakobs
Definition männlicher Vorname Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Jakob

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Jakob and Jakobs apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Jakob
6 ch
Jakobs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Jakob is [ˈjaːkɔp] while Jakobs is [ˈjaːkɔps]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Jakob” sits inside “Jakobs”, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32168, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Jakob is recorded at frequency rank #4,802, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈjaːkɔp]. Jakobs is at rank #27,366, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈjaːkɔps].

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 32168, this pair ranks #1,713,293 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Jakob vs Jakobs

Shared letters: abjko. Private to "Jakob": -. Private to "Jakobs": s.

"Jakob" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Jakobs" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Jakobajkob · jakbo · jakkob · jakobb · jaokb · jjakob · jkaob
  • Jakobsajkobs · jakbos · jakkobs · jakobbs · jakobss · jakosb · jaokbs · jjakobs

Frequency comparison

Jakob#4,802
Jakobs#27,366

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Jakob" and "Jakobs" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Jakob" is a name and "Jakobs" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Jakob" or "Jakobs"?
"Jakob" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,802 in our German list, against #27,366 for "Jakobs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Jakob vs Jakobs

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Jakob”; for a noun, it's “Jakobs”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Jakob” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list