UrsachevsUrsachenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,623
“Ursache” frequency rank
#4,394
“Ursachen” frequency rank
7017
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ursache Ursachen
Definition vorhergehender Sachverhalt, der einen momentanen Sachverhalt wesentlich bestimmt hat Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Ursache

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
Ursache
8 ch
Ursachen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Ursache ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌzaxə]) and Ursachen ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌzaxn̩]) 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) - “Ursache” sits inside “Ursachen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7017, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Ursache is recorded at frequency rank #2,623, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈuːɐ̯ˌzaxə]. Ursachen is at rank #4,394, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈuːɐ̯ˌzaxn̩].

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 7017, this pair ranks #1,989,680 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Ursache vs Ursachen

Shared letters: acehrsu. Private to "Ursache": -. Private to "Ursachen": n.

"Ursache" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV  ·  "Ursachen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Ursacherusache · urasche · urrsache · ursacche · ursaceh · ursachhe · ursahce · urscahe
  • Ursachenrusachen · uraschen · urrsachen · ursacchen · ursacehn · ursachenn · ursachhen · ursachne

Frequency comparison

Ursache#2,623
Ursachen#4,394

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Ursache" and "Ursachen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌzaxə] versus [ˈuːɐ̯ˌzaxn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Ursache" or "Ursachen"?
"Ursache" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,623 in our German list, against #4,394 for "Ursachen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Ursache vs Ursachen

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 “Ursache” 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