PferdenvsPferdesTell them apart

Which to use

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

#9,434
“Pferden” frequency rank
#23,659
“Pferdes” frequency rank
33093
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Pferden Pferdes
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Pferd Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Pferd

Where the eye mixes Pferden and Pferdes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Pferden and Pferdes follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

7 ch
Pferden
7 ch
Pferdes

Why the eye confuses Pferden with Pferdes

A purely visual mix-up. Pferden ([ˈp͡feːɐ̯dn̩]) and Pferdes ([ˈp͡feːɐ̯dəs]) 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 “Pferden” becomes s in “Pferdes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33093, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Pferden is recorded at frequency rank #9,434, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈp͡feːɐ̯dn̩]. Pferdes is at rank #23,659, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈp͡feːɐ̯dəs].

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 33093, this pair ranks #1,693,423 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Pferden vs Pferdes

Shared letters: defpr. Private to "Pferden": n. Private to "Pferdes": s.

"Pferden" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "Pferdes" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Pferden ← fperden · pefrden · pfedren · pferdden · pferdenn · pferdne · pferedn · pferrden
  • Pferdes ← fperdes · pefrdes · pfedres · pferddes · pferdess · pferdse · pfereds · pferrdes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Pferden" and "Pferdes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈp͡feːɐ̯dn̩] versus [ˈp͡feːɐ̯dəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Pferden" or "Pferdes"?
"Pferden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,434 in our German list, against #23,659 for "Pferdes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Pferden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Pferdes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,693,423 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Pferden" and "Pferdes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Pfaden vs Pferden". 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 #1,693,423 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