UnfällevsUnfällenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Unfälle” and “Unfällen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,835
“Unfälle” frequency rank
#14,443
“Unfällen” frequency rank
22278
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Unfälle Unfällen
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Unfall Dativ Plural des Substantivs Unfall

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Unfälle and Unfällen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Unfälle
8 ch
Unfällen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Unfälle ([ˈʊnˌfɛlə]) and Unfällen ([ˈʊnˌfɛlən]) 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) - “Unfälle” sits inside “Unfällen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22278, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Unfälle is recorded at frequency rank #7,835, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʊnˌfɛlə]. Unfällen is at rank #14,443, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʊnˌfɛlən].

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 22278, this pair ranks #1,876,141 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Unfälle vs Unfällen

Shared letters: eflnuä. Private to "Unfälle": -. Private to "Unfällen": -.

"Unfälle" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV  ·  "Unfällen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

Unfälle#7,835
Unfällen#14,443

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Unfälle" and "Unfällen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʊnˌfɛlə] versus [ˈʊnˌfɛlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Unfälle" or "Unfällen"?
"Unfälle" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,835 in our German list, against #14,443 for "Unfällen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Unfälle vs Unfällen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Unfälle” 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