UrlaubevsUrlauberWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,093
“Urlaube” frequency rank
#12,815
“Urlauber” frequency rank
51908
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Urlaube Urlauber
Definition Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Urlaub jemand, der Urlaub macht; der sich im Urlaub befindet

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
Urlaube
8 ch
Urlauber

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Urlaube ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯bə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “Urlaube” sits inside “Urlauber”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51908, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Urlaube is recorded at frequency rank #39,093, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯bə]. 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 51908, this pair ranks #1,117,418 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Urlaube vs Urlauber

Shared letters: abelru. Private to "Urlaube": -. Private to "Urlauber": -.

"Urlaube" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV  ·  "Urlauber" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Urlauberulaube · ulraube · uralube · urlabue · urlaubbe · urlaueb · urllaube · urluabe
  • Urlauberrulauber · ulrauber · uraluber · urlabuer · urlaubber · urlauberr · urlaubre · urlauebr

Frequency comparison

Urlaube#39,093
Urlauber#12,815

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Urlaube" and "Urlauber" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯bə] versus [ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯bɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Urlaube" or "Urlauber"?
"Urlauber" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,815 in our German list, against #39,093 for "Urlaube". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Urlaube 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 “Urlaube” 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