Which to use
“Wurzel” and “Wurzeln” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,155
- “Wurzel” frequency rank
- #4,173
- “Wurzeln” frequency rank
- 15328
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Wurzel | Wurzeln |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Organ, mit dem sich Pflanzen auf oder im Untergrund verankern und Nährstoffe aufnehmen | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Wurzel |
Where the eye mixes Wurzel and Wurzeln
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Wurzel runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Wurzeln's 7 (CVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Wurzel with Wurzeln
A purely visual mix-up. Wurzel ([ˈvʊʁt͡sl̩]) and Wurzeln ([ˈvʊʁt͡sl̩n]) 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) - “Wurzel” sits inside “Wurzeln”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15328, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Wurzel is recorded at frequency rank #11,155, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvʊʁt͡sl̩]. Wurzeln is at rank #4,173, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈvʊʁt͡sl̩n].
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 15328, this pair ranks #1,944,723 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Wurzel vs Wurzeln
Shared letters: elruwz. Private to "Wurzel": -. Private to "Wurzeln": n.
"Wurzel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Wurzeln" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Wurzel" for "Wurzeln" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Wurzel" or "Wurzeln"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Wurzel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Wurzeln" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,944,723 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Wurzel" and "Wurzeln" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Wurzel vs würzig". 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 #1,944,723 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.