UrlaubevsUrlaubsWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#39,093
“Urlaube” frequency rank
#22,548
“Urlaubs” frequency rank
61641
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Urlaube Urlaubs
Definition Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Urlaub Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Urlaub

Where the eye mixes Urlaube and Urlaubs

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Urlaube (VCCVVCV) and Urlaubs (VCCVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

7 ch
Urlaube
7 ch
Urlaubs

Visual trap between Urlaube and Urlaubs

A purely visual mix-up. Urlaube ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯bə]) and Urlaubs ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯ps]) 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 a single letter - e in “Urlaube” becomes s in “Urlaubs”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61641, 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]. Urlaubs is at rank #22,548, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯ps].

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 61641, this pair ranks #742,108 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Urlaube vs Urlaubs

Shared letters: ablru. Private to "Urlaube": e. Private to "Urlaubs": s.

"Urlaube" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV  ·  "Urlaubs" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Urlaube ← rulaube · ulraube · uralube · urlabue · urlaubbe · urlaueb · urllaube · urluabe
  • Urlaubs ← rulaubs · ulraubs · uralubs · urlabus · urlaubbs · urlaubss · urlausb · urllaubs

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Urlaube" and "Urlaubs" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯bə] versus [ˈuːɐ̯ˌlaʊ̯ps]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Urlaube" or "Urlaubs"?
"Urlaubs" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,548 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.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Urlaube" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Urlaubs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #742,108 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Urlaube" and "Urlaubs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Urlaube vs Urlauber". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #742,108 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list