UrlaubvsUrlauberWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,274
“Urlaub” frequency rank
#12,815
“Urlauber” frequency rank
14089
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Urlaub Urlauber
Definition die vom Arbeitgeber dem abhängig Beschäftigten oder Dienstherrn dem Unterstellten gewährte Freizeit in Höhe von einem oder meist mehreren Werktagen jemand, der Urlaub macht; der sich im Urlaub befindet

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Urlaub
8 ch
Urlauber

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Urlaub ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯p]) and Urlauber ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯bɐ]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Urlaub” sits inside “Urlauber”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14089, 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]. Urlauber is at rank #12,815, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯bɐ].

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 14089, this pair ranks #1,953,635 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Urlaub vs Urlauber

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

"Urlaub" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC  ·  "Urlauber" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Urlaubrulaub · ulraub · uralub · urlabu · urlaubb · urllaub · urluab · urrlaub
  • Urlauberrulauber · ulrauber · uraluber · urlabuer · urlaubber · urlauberr · urlaubre · urlauebr

Frequency comparison

Urlaub#1,274
Urlauber#12,815

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Urlaub" and "Urlauber" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯p] versus [ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯bɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Urlaub" or "Urlauber"?
"Urlaub" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,274 in our German list, against #12,815 for "Urlauber". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Urlaub vs Urlauber

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list