UrlaubvsUrlaubeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,274
“Urlaub” frequency rank
#39,093
“Urlaube” frequency rank
40367
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Urlaub Urlaube
Definition die vom Arbeitgeber dem abhängig Beschäftigten oder Dienstherrn dem Unterstellten gewährte Freizeit in Höhe von einem oder meist mehreren Werktagen Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Urlaub

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Urlaub and Urlaube apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Urlaub
7 ch
Urlaube

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Urlaub ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯p]) and Urlaube ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯bə]) 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) - “Urlaub” sits inside “Urlaube”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40367, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Urlaub is recorded at frequency rank #1,274, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯p]. Urlaube is at rank #39,093, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯bə].

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 40367, this pair ranks #1,510,537 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Urlaub vs Urlaube

Shared letters: ablru. Private to "Urlaub": -. Private to "Urlaube": e.

"Urlaub" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC  ·  "Urlaube" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Urlaubrulaub · ulraub · uralub · urlabu · urlaubb · urllaub · urluab · urrlaub
  • Urlauberulaube · ulraube · uralube · urlabue · urlaubbe · urlaueb · urllaube · urluabe

Frequency comparison

Urlaub#1,274
Urlaube#39,093

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Urlaub" and "Urlaube" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯p] versus [ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯bə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Urlaub" or "Urlaube"?
"Urlaub" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,274 in our German list, against #39,093 for "Urlaube". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Urlaub vs Urlaube

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 “Urlaub” 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