UrsprungvsUrsprüngeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,125
“Ursprung” frequency rank
#25,365
“Ursprünge” frequency rank
30490
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ursprung Ursprünge
Definition Zeitpunkt, Ort oder Material, aus dem etwas hervorgegangen ist Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Ursprung

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
Ursprung
9 ch
Ursprünge

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Ursprung ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌʃpʁʊŋ]) and Ursprünge ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌʃpʁʏŋə]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30490, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Ursprung is recorded at frequency rank #5,125, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈuːɐ̯ˌʃpʁʊŋ]. Ursprünge is at rank #25,365, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈuːɐ̯ˌʃpʁʏŋə].

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 30490, this pair ranks #1,746,834 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Ursprung vs Ursprünge

Shared letters: gnprsu. Private to "Ursprung": -. Private to "Ursprünge": .

"Ursprung" · 8 letters · shape VCCCCVCC  ·  "Ursprünge" · 9 letters · shape VCCCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Ursprungrusprung · urpsrung · urrsprung · urspprung · ursprnug · ursprrung · ursprugn · ursprungg

Frequency comparison

Ursprung#5,125
Ursprünge#25,365

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Ursprung" and "Ursprünge" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌʃpʁʊŋ] versus [ˈuːɐ̯ˌʃpʁʏŋə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Ursprung" or "Ursprünge"?
"Ursprung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,125 in our German list, against #25,365 for "Ursprünge". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Ursprung vs Ursprünge

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 “Ursprung” 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