Which to use
“Prüfung” and “Prüfungen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,986
- “Prüfung” frequency rank
- #6,462
- “Prüfungen” frequency rank
- 8448
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Prüfung | Prüfungen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Handlung des Kontrollierens; das Nachschauen oder Testen, ob etwas funktioniert beziehungsweise in Ordnung ist | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Prüfung |
Where the eye mixes Prüfung and Prüfungen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Prüfung runs 7 letters (CCVCVCC) against Prüfungen's 9 (CCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Prüfung with Prüfungen
A purely visual mix-up. Prüfung ([ˈpʁyːfʊŋ]) and Prüfungen ([ˈpʁyːfʊŋən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Prüfung” sits inside “Prüfungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8448, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Prüfung is recorded at frequency rank #1,986, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpʁyːfʊŋ]. Prüfungen is at rank #6,462, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpʁyːfʊŋən].
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 8448, this pair ranks #1,984,228 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Prüfung vs Prüfungen
Shared letters: fgnpruü. Private to "Prüfung": -. Private to "Prüfungen": e.
"Prüfung" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCC · "Prüfungen" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Prüfung" and "Prüfungen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Prüfung" or "Prüfungen"?
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 "Prüfung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Prüfungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,984,228 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Prüfung" and "Prüfungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Prägung vs Prüfung". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,984,228 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.