Which to use
“Ohr” and “Öl” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,610
- “Ohr” frequency rank
- #2,940
- “Öl” frequency rank
- 6550
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ohr | Öl |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sinnesorgan zur Wahrnehmung von akustischen Signalen (Gehör) | fettige, schmierige Flüssigkeit |
Where the eye mixes Ohr and Öl
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. No shared run - shape, not overlap, is the trap.
Visual trap between Ohr and Öl
A purely visual mix-up. Ohr ([oːɐ̯]) and Öl ([øːl]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6550, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ohr is recorded at frequency rank #3,610, classified as anoun, pronounced [oːɐ̯]. Öl is at rank #2,940, tagged as anoun, pronounced [øːl].
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 6550, this pair ranks #1,991,253 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ohr vs Öl
Shared letters: none. Private to "Ohr": hor. Private to "Öl": lö.
"Ohr" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "Öl" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Ohr" and "Öl" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Ohr" or "Öl" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ohr" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Öl" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,991,253 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ohr" and "Öl" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "OGH vs Ohr". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,991,253 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.