SüdafrikavsSüdafrikasWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Südafrika is a name, Südafrikas is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Südafrika” is a name and “Südafrikas” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,769
“Südafrika” frequency rank
#31,294
“Südafrikas” frequency rank
37063
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Südafrika Südafrikas
Definition Staat an der Südspitze Afrikas Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Südafrika

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Südafrika and Südafrikas apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
Südafrika
10 ch
Südafrikas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Südafrika is [ˌzyːtˈʔaːfʁika] while Südafrikas is [ˌzyːtˈʔaːfʁikas]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Südafrika” sits inside “Südafrikas”, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37063, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Südafrika is recorded at frequency rank #5,769, classified as aname, pronounced [ˌzyːtˈʔaːfʁika]. Südafrikas is at rank #31,294, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˌzyːtˈʔaːfʁikas].

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 37063, this pair ranks #1,599,747 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Südafrika vs Südafrikas

Shared letters: adfikrsü. Private to "Südafrika": -. Private to "Südafrikas": -.

"Südafrika" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCV  ·  "Südafrikas" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

Südafrika#5,769
Südafrikas#31,294

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Südafrika" and "Südafrikas" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Südafrika" is a name and "Südafrikas" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Südafrika" or "Südafrikas"?
"Südafrika" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,769 in our German list, against #31,294 for "Südafrikas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Südafrika vs Südafrikas

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Südafrika”; for a noun, it's “Südafrikas”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Südafrika” 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