WiderstandvsWiderständeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,276
“Widerstand” frequency rank
#20,129
“Widerstände” frequency rank
22405
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Widerstand Widerstände
Definition Eigenschaft, trotz eines verändernden Einflusses im derzeitigen Zustand zu verharren, sich nicht zu verändern Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Widerstand

Where the eye mixes Widerstand and Widerstände

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Widerstand runs 10 letters (CVCVCCCVCC) against Widerstände's 11 (CVCVCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
Widerstand
11 ch
Widerstände

Why the eye confuses Widerstand with Widerstände

A purely visual mix-up. Widerstand ([ˈviːdɐˌʃtant]) and Widerstände ([ˈviːdɐʃtɛndə]) 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 22405, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Widerstand is recorded at frequency rank #2,276, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈviːdɐˌʃtant]. Widerstände is at rank #20,129, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈviːdɐʃtɛndə].

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 22405, this pair ranks #1,874,570 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Widerstand vs Widerstände

Shared letters: deinrstw. Private to "Widerstand": a. Private to "Widerstände": ä.

"Widerstand" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCC  ·  "Widerstände" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Widerstand ← iwderstand · wdierstand · widderstand · widerrstand · widersatnd · widersstand · widerstadn · widerstandd

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Widerstand" and "Widerstände" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈviːdɐˌʃtant] versus [ˈviːdɐʃtɛndə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Widerstand" or "Widerstände"?
"Widerstand" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,276 in our German list, against #20,129 for "Widerstände". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "Widerstand" and "Widerstände" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Widerstand" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Widerstände" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,874,570 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Widerstand" and "Widerstände" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Widerstände vs Widerstandes". 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 #1,874,570 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