OchsevsOchsenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,320
“Ochse” frequency rank
#26,560
“Ochsen” frequency rank
64880
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ochse Ochsen
Definition kastriertes männliches Hausrind Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Ochse

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Ochse
6 ch
Ochsen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Ochse ([ˈɔksə]) and Ochsen ([ˈɔksn̩]) 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) - “Ochse” sits inside “Ochsen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64880, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Ochse is recorded at frequency rank #38,320, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɔksə]. Ochsen is at rank #26,560, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɔksn̩].

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 64880, this pair ranks #626,061 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Ochse vs Ochsen

Shared letters: cehos. Private to "Ochse": -. Private to "Ochsen": n.

"Ochse" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV  ·  "Ochsen" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Ochsecohse · occhse · oches · ochhse · ochsse · ocshe · ohcse
  • Ochsencohsen · occhsen · ochesn · ochhsen · ochsenn · ochsne · ochssen · ocshen

Frequency comparison

Ochse#38,320
Ochsen#26,560

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Ochse" and "Ochsen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɔksə] versus [ˈɔksn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Ochse" or "Ochsen"?
"Ochsen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,560 in our German list, against #38,320 for "Ochse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Ochse vs Ochsen

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 “Ochse” 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