WindgeschwindigkeitvsWindgeschwindigkeitenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#38,525
“Windgeschwindigkeit” frequency rank
#48,640
“Windgeschwindigkeiten” frequency rank
87165
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Windgeschwindigkeit Windgeschwindigkeiten
Definition Geschwindigkeit des Windes Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Windgeschwindigkeit

Where the eye mixes Windgeschwindigkeit and Windgeschwindigkeiten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 19 letters in sequence. Windgeschwindigkeit runs 19 letters (CVCCCVCCCCVCCVCCVVC) against Windgeschwindigkeiten's 21 (CVCCCVCCCCVCCVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

19 ch
Windgeschwindigkeit
21 ch
Windgeschwindigkeiten

Why the eye confuses Windgeschwindigkeit with Windgeschwindigkeiten

A purely visual mix-up. Windgeschwindigkeit ([ˈvɪntɡəˌʃvɪndɪçkaɪ̯t]) and Windgeschwindigkeiten ([ˈvɪntɡəˌʃvɪndɪçkaɪ̯tn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Windgeschwindigkeit” sits inside “Windgeschwindigkeiten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 87165, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Windgeschwindigkeit is recorded at frequency rank #38,525, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvɪntɡəˌʃvɪndɪçkaɪ̯t]. Windgeschwindigkeiten is at rank #48,640, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈvɪntɡəˌʃvɪndɪçkaɪ̯tn̩].

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 87165, this pair ranks #83,948 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Windgeschwindigkeit vs Windgeschwindigkeiten

Shared letters: cdeghiknstw. Private to "Windgeschwindigkeit": -. Private to "Windgeschwindigkeiten": -.

"Windgeschwindigkeit" · 19 letters · shape CVCCCVCCCCVCCVCCVVC  ·  "Windgeschwindigkeiten" · 21 letters · shape CVCCCVCCCCVCCVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Windgeschwindigkeit ← iwndgeschwindigkeit · widngeschwindigkeit · winddgeschwindigkeit · windegschwindigkeit · windgecshwindigkeit · windgescchwindigkeit · windgeschhwindigkeit · windgeschiwndigkeit

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Windgeschwindigkeit" for "Windgeschwindigkeiten" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvɪntɡəˌʃvɪndɪçkaɪ̯t] versus [ˈvɪntɡəˌʃvɪndɪçkaɪ̯tn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Windgeschwindigkeit" or "Windgeschwindigkeiten" show up more?
"Windgeschwindigkeit" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,525 in our German list, against #48,640 for "Windgeschwindigkeiten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Windgeschwindigkeit" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Windgeschwindigkeiten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #83,948 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • 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 #83,948 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