WohnbauvsWohnhausWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,372
“Wohnbau” frequency rank
#8,659
“Wohnhaus” frequency rank
41031
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Wohnbau Wohnhaus
Definition Errichtung eines Wohngebäudes Haus, das zum Bewohnen gedacht ist

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Wohnbau and Wohnhaus apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Wohnbau
8 ch
Wohnhaus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Wohnbau ([ˈvoːnˌbaʊ̯]) and Wohnhaus ([ˈvoːnˌhaʊ̯s]) 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 41031, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Wohnbau is recorded at frequency rank #32,372, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvoːnˌbaʊ̯]. Wohnhaus is at rank #8,659, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈvoːnˌhaʊ̯s].

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 41031, this pair ranks #1,491,313 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Wohnbau vs Wohnhaus

Shared letters: ahnouw. Private to "Wohnbau": b. Private to "Wohnhaus": s.

"Wohnbau" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVV  ·  "Wohnhaus" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Wohnbauowhnbau · whonbau · wohbnau · wohhnbau · wohnabu · wohnbbau · wohnbua · wohnnbau
  • Wohnhausowhnhaus · whonhaus · wohhnaus · wohhnhaus · wohnahus · wohnhasu · wohnhauss · wohnhhaus

Frequency comparison

Wohnbau#32,372
Wohnhaus#8,659

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Wohnbau" and "Wohnhaus" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvoːnˌbaʊ̯] versus [ˈvoːnˌhaʊ̯s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Wohnbau" or "Wohnhaus"?
"Wohnhaus" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,659 in our German list, against #32,372 for "Wohnbau". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Wohnbau vs Wohnhaus

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 “Wohnbau” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list