WinterspielevsWinterspielenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,608
“Winterspiele” frequency rank
#20,795
“Winterspielen” frequency rank
37403
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Winterspiele Winterspielen
Definition kurz für Olympische Winterspiele Dativ Plural des Substantivs Winterspiele

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Winterspiele and Winterspielen apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
Winterspiele
13 ch
Winterspielen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Winterspiele ([ˈvɪntɐˌʃpiːlə]) and Winterspielen ([ˈvɪntɐˌʃpiːlən]) 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) - “Winterspiele” sits inside “Winterspielen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37403, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Winterspiele is recorded at frequency rank #16,608, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvɪntɐˌʃpiːlə]. Winterspielen is at rank #20,795, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈvɪntɐˌʃpiːlən].

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 37403, this pair ranks #1,591,190 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Winterspiele vs Winterspielen

Shared letters: eilnprstw. Private to "Winterspiele": -. Private to "Winterspielen": -.

"Winterspiele" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVVCV  ·  "Winterspielen" · 13 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Winterspieleiwnterspiele · winetrspiele · winnterspiele · winterpsiele · winterrspiele · wintersipele · winterspeile · winterspieel
  • Winterspieleniwnterspielen · winetrspielen · winnterspielen · winterpsielen · winterrspielen · wintersipelen · winterspeilen · winterspieeln

Frequency comparison

Winterspiele#16,608
Winterspielen#20,795

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Winterspiele" and "Winterspielen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvɪntɐˌʃpiːlə] versus [ˈvɪntɐˌʃpiːlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Winterspiele" or "Winterspielen"?
"Winterspiele" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,608 in our German list, against #20,795 for "Winterspielen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Winterspiele vs Winterspielen

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 “Winterspiele” 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