WörtervsWörternWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,628
“Wörter” frequency rank
#12,209
“Wörtern” frequency rank
15837
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Wörter Wörtern
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Wort Dativ Plural des Substantivs Wort

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Wörter
7 ch
Wörtern

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Wörter ([ˈvœʁtɐ]) and Wörtern ([ˈvœʁtɐn]) 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) - “Wörter” sits inside “Wörtern”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15837, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Wörter is recorded at frequency rank #3,628, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvœʁtɐ]. Wörtern is at rank #12,209, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈvœʁtɐn].

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 15837, this pair ranks #1,940,759 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Wörter vs Wörtern

Shared letters: ertwö. Private to "Wörter": -. Private to "Wörtern": n.

"Wörter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Wörtern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Frequency comparison

Wörter#3,628
Wörtern#12,209

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Wörter" and "Wörtern" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvœʁtɐ] versus [ˈvœʁtɐn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Wörter" or "Wörtern"?
"Wörter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,628 in our German list, against #12,209 for "Wörtern". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Wörter vs Wörtern

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 “Wörter” 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