OrtsteilevsOrtsteilenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#19,331
“Ortsteile” frequency rank
#17,380
“Ortsteilen” frequency rank
36711
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ortsteile Ortsteilen
Definition Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Ortsteil Dativ Plural des Substantivs Ortsteil

Where the eye mixes Ortsteile and Ortsteilen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Ortsteile runs 9 letters (VCCCCVVCV) against Ortsteilen's 10 (VCCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
Ortsteile
10 ch
Ortsteilen

Visual trap between Ortsteile and Ortsteilen

A purely visual mix-up. Ortsteile ([ˈɔʁt͡sˌtaɪ̯lə]) and Ortsteilen ([ˈɔʁt͡sˌtaɪ̯lən]) 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) - “Ortsteile” sits inside “Ortsteilen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36711, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Ortsteile is recorded at frequency rank #19,331, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɔʁt͡sˌtaɪ̯lə]. Ortsteilen is at rank #17,380, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɔʁt͡sˌtaɪ̯lən].

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 36711, this pair ranks #1,608,634 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Ortsteile vs Ortsteilen

Shared letters: eilorst. Private to "Ortsteile": -. Private to "Ortsteilen": n.

"Ortsteile" · 9 letters · shape VCCCCVVCV  ·  "Ortsteilen" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Ortsteile ← orrtsteile · orstteile · ortsetile · ortssteile · ortsteiel · ortsteille · ortstelie · ortstiele
  • Ortsteilen ← orrtsteilen · orstteilen · ortsetilen · ortssteilen · ortsteieln · ortsteilenn · ortsteillen · ortsteilne

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Ortsteile" for "Ortsteilen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɔʁt͡sˌtaɪ̯lə] versus [ˈɔʁt͡sˌtaɪ̯lən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Ortsteile" or "Ortsteilen"?
"Ortsteilen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,380 in our German list, against #19,331 for "Ortsteile". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Ortsteile" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Ortsteilen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,608,634 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Ortsteile" and "Ortsteilen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ortsteil vs Ortsteile". 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 #1,608,634 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