ObdachlosenvsObdachloserWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,444
“Obdachlosen” frequency rank
#39,553
“Obdachloser” frequency rank
54997
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Obdachlosen Obdachloser
Definition Genitiv Singular der starken Flexion des Substantivs Obdachloser (neutrale oder männliche) Person ohne festen Wohnsitz

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Obdachlosen and Obdachloser apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
Obdachlosen
11 ch
Obdachloser

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Obdachlosen ([ˈɔpdaxˌloːzn̩]) and Obdachloser ([ˈɔpdaxˌloːzɐ]) 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 a single letter - n in “Obdachlosen” becomes r in “Obdachloser”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54997, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Obdachlosen is recorded at frequency rank #15,444, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɔpdaxˌloːzn̩]. Obdachloser is at rank #39,553, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɔpdaxˌloːzɐ].

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 54997, this pair ranks #996,744 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Obdachlosen vs Obdachloser

Shared letters: abcdehlos. Private to "Obdachlosen": n. Private to "Obdachloser": r.

"Obdachlosen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCVC  ·  "Obdachloser" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Obdachlosenbodachlosen · obadchlosen · obbdachlosen · obdacchlosen · obdachhlosen · obdachllosen · obdachloesn · obdachlosenn
  • Obdachloserbodachloser · obadchloser · obbdachloser · obdacchloser · obdachhloser · obdachlloser · obdachloesr · obdachloserr

Frequency comparison

Obdachlosen#15,444
Obdachloser#39,553

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Obdachlosen" and "Obdachloser" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɔpdaxˌloːzn̩] versus [ˈɔpdaxˌloːzɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Obdachlosen" or "Obdachloser"?
"Obdachlosen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,444 in our German list, against #39,553 for "Obdachloser". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Obdachlosen vs Obdachloser

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Obdachlosen” 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