WasserfallvsWasserfälleWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,522
“Wasserfall” frequency rank
#31,361
“Wasserfälle” frequency rank
46883
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Wasserfall Wasserfälle
Definition senkrechte Überwindung einer Höhenstufe durch einen Fluss (von oben nach unten) Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Wasserfall

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Wasserfall and Wasserfälle apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
Wasserfall
11 ch
Wasserfälle

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Wasserfall ([ˈvasɐˌfal]) and Wasserfälle ([ˈvasɐˌfɛlə]) 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 46883, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Wasserfall is recorded at frequency rank #15,522, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvasɐˌfal]. Wasserfälle is at rank #31,361, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈvasɐˌfɛlə].

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 46883, this pair ranks #1,303,641 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Wasserfall vs Wasserfälle

Shared letters: aeflrsw. Private to "Wasserfall": -. Private to "Wasserfälle": ä.

"Wasserfall" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC  ·  "Wasserfälle" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Wasserfallawsserfall · waserfall · wasesrfall · wassefrall · wasserafll · wasserfal · wasserffall · wasserflal

Frequency comparison

Wasserfall#15,522
Wasserfälle#31,361

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Wasserfall" and "Wasserfälle" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvasɐˌfal] versus [ˈvasɐˌfɛlə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Wasserfall" or "Wasserfälle"?
"Wasserfall" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,522 in our German list, against #31,361 for "Wasserfälle". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Wasserfall vs Wasserfälle

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 “Wasserfall” 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