uavsumsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ua is a num, ums is an abbrev, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#13,965
“ua” frequency rank
#2,417
“ums” frequency rank
16382
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ua ums
Definition zwei Zusammenfluss von Präposition und bestimmten Artikel (Akkusativ Neutrum): um das

Where the eye mixes ua and ums

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

2 ch
ua
3 ch
ums

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ua is [ˈua] while ums is [ʊms]. 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 abbrev), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16382, 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]. ums is at rank #2,417, tagged as anabbrev, pronounced [ʊms].

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 16382, this pair ranks #1,936,314 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ua vs ums

Shared letters: u. Private to "ua": a. Private to "ums": ms.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ua" and "ums" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ua" is a num and "ums" an abbrev, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ua" or "ums"?
"ums" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,417 in our German list, against #13,965 for "ua". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list