uavsUhrWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ua is a num, Uhr is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ua” is a num and “Uhr” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#13,965
“ua” frequency rank
#200
“Uhr” frequency rank
14165
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ua Uhr
Definition zwei Instrument zur Messung der Zeit, Chronometer

Where the eye mixes ua and Uhr

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

2 ch
ua
3 ch
Uhr

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ua is [ˈua] while Uhr is [uːɐ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14165, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ua is recorded at frequency rank #13,965, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈua]. Uhr is at rank #200, tagged as anoun, pronounced [uːɐ̯].

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 14165, this pair ranks #1,953,106 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ua vs Uhr

Shared letters: u. Private to "ua": a. Private to "Uhr": hr.

"ua" · 2 letters · shape VV  ·  "Uhr" · 3 letters · shape VCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ua" and "Uhr" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ua" is a num and "Uhr" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ua" or "Uhr"?
"Uhr" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #200 in our German list, against #13,965 for "ua". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

You've compared "ua" and "Uhr". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "ua" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Uhr" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,953,106 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ua" and "Uhr" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ua vs uch". Nearby pair

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list