WurzelvsWurzelnWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Wurzel
7 ch
Wurzeln

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • Wurzeluwrzel · wruzel · wurezl · wurrzel · wurzell · wurzle · wurzzel · wuzrel
  • Wurzelnuwrzeln · wruzeln · wurezln · wurrzeln · wurzelln · wurzelnn · wurzenl · wurzlen

Frequency comparison

Wurzel#11,155
Wurzeln#4,173

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Wurzel" and "Wurzeln" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvʊʁt͡sl̩] versus [ˈvʊʁt͡sl̩n]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Wurzel" or "Wurzeln"?
"Wurzeln" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,173 in our German list, against #11,155 for "Wurzel". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Wurzel vs Wurzeln

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 “Wurzel” 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