UrsprungvsUrsprungsConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#5,125
“Ursprung” frequency rank
#13,969
“Ursprungs” frequency rank
19094
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ursprung Ursprungs
Definition Zeitpunkt, Ort oder Material, aus dem etwas hervorgegangen ist Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Ursprung

Where the eye mixes Ursprung and Ursprungs

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Ursprung runs 8 letters (VCCCCVCC) against Ursprungs's 9 (VCCCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
Ursprung
9 ch
Ursprungs

Look-alike desk: Ursprung vs Ursprungs

A purely visual mix-up. Ursprung ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌʃpʁʊŋ]) and Ursprungs ([ˈuːɐ̯ʃpʁʊŋs]) 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) - “Ursprung” sits inside “Ursprungs”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19094, 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]. Ursprungs is at rank #13,969, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈuːɐ̯ʃpʁʊŋs].

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 19094, this pair ranks #1,911,890 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Ursprung vs Ursprungs

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

"Ursprung" · 8 letters · shape VCCCCVCC  ·  "Ursprungs" · 9 letters · shape VCCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Ursprung ← rusprung · urpsrung · urrsprung · urspprung · ursprnug · ursprrung · ursprugn · ursprungg
  • Ursprungs ← rusprungs · urpsrungs · urrsprungs · urspprungs · ursprnugs · ursprrungs · ursprugns · ursprunggs

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Ursprung" for "Ursprungs" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈuːɐ̯ˌʃpʁʊŋ] versus [ˈuːɐ̯ʃpʁʊŋs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Ursprung" or "Ursprungs"?
"Ursprung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,125 in our German list, against #13,969 for "Ursprungs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Ursprung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Ursprungs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,911,890 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Ursprung" and "Ursprungs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ursprünge vs Ursprungs". 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 #1,911,890 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