Which to use
“System” and “Systems” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #677
- “System” frequency rank
- #3,340
- “Systems” frequency rank
- 4017
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | System | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine sich abgrenzende/nicht-abgrenzende, auf kausaler/nicht-kausaler Ebene korrelierende Struktur, die eine Gesamtheit beziehungsweise eine finite/infinite „Menge“ von Objekten einbezieht; ein definiertes Prinzip, das einer bestimmten Ordnung zugrunde liegt | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs System |
Where the eye mixes System and Systems
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses System with Systems
A purely visual mix-up. System ([zʏsˈteːm]) and Systems ([zʏsˈteːms]) 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) - “System” sits inside “Systems”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4017, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
System is recorded at frequency rank #677, classified as anoun, pronounced [zʏsˈteːm]. Systems is at rank #3,340, tagged as anoun, pronounced [zʏsˈteːms].
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 4017, this pair ranks #1,998,789 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of System vs Systems
Shared letters: emsty. Private to "System": -. Private to "Systems": -.
"System" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Systems" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "System" and "Systems" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "System" vs "Systems" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "System" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Systems" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,998,789 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "System" and "Systems" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sisters vs Systems". 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 #1,998,789 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.