WidersprüchevsWidersprüchenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#14,464
“Widersprüche” frequency rank
#42,265
“Widersprüchen” frequency rank
56729
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Widersprüche Widersprüchen
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Widerspruch Dativ Plural des Substantivs Widerspruch

Where the eye mixes Widersprüche and Widersprüchen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. Widersprüche runs 12 letters (CVCVCCCCVCCV) against Widersprüchen's 13 (CVCVCCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

12 ch
Widersprüche
13 ch
Widersprüchen

Why the eye confuses Widersprüche with Widersprüchen

A purely visual mix-up. Widersprüche ([ˈviːdɐˌʃpʁʏçə]) and Widersprüchen ([ˈviːdɐˌʃpʁʏçn̩]) 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) - “Widersprüche” sits inside “Widersprüchen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56729, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Widersprüche is recorded at frequency rank #14,464, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈviːdɐˌʃpʁʏçə]. Widersprüchen is at rank #42,265, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈviːdɐˌʃpʁʏçn̩].

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 56729, this pair ranks #928,905 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Widersprüche vs Widersprüchen

Shared letters: cdehiprswü. Private to "Widersprüche": -. Private to "Widersprüchen": n.

"Widersprüche" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVCCV  ·  "Widersprüchen" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Widersprüche" for "Widersprüchen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈviːdɐˌʃpʁʏçə] versus [ˈviːdɐˌʃpʁʏçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Widersprüche" or "Widersprüchen"?
"Widersprüche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,464 in our German list, against #42,265 for "Widersprüchen". 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 "Widersprüche" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Widersprüchen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #928,905 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Widersprüche" and "Widersprüchen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Widersprüchen vs Widerspruchs". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #928,905 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