WerktagvswerktagsTell them apart

Quick tell: Werktag is a noun, werktags is an adverb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Werktag” is a noun and “werktags” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#40,318
“Werktag” frequency rank
#36,127
“werktags” frequency rank
76445
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Werktag werktags
Definition Tag, an dem laut Gesetz das Arbeiten grundsätzlich zulässig ist an Werktagen

Where the eye mixes Werktag and werktags

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Werktag runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against werktags's 8 (CVCCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Werktag
8 ch
werktags

Why the eye confuses Werktag with werktags

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Werktag is [ˈvɛʁkˌtaːk] while werktags is [ˈvɛʁkˌtaːks]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Werktag” sits inside “werktags”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76445, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Werktag is recorded at frequency rank #40,318, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvɛʁkˌtaːk]. werktags is at rank #36,127, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈvɛʁkˌtaːks].

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 76445, this pair ranks #283,765 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Werktag vs werktags

Shared letters: aegkrtw. Private to "Werktag": -. Private to "werktags": s.

"Werktag" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "werktags" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Werktag ← ewrktag · wekrtag · werkatg · werkktag · werktagg · werktga · werkttag · werrktag
  • werktags ← ewrktags · wekrtags · werkatgs · werkktags · werktaggs · werktagss · werktasg · werktgas

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Werktag" and "werktags" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Werktag" is a noun and "werktags" an adverb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "Werktag" vs "werktags" - which ranks higher?
"werktags" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,127 in our German list, against #40,318 for "Werktag". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Werktag" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "werktags" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #283,765 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Werktag" and "werktags" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Werktag vs Werktagen". 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 #283,765 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