die  Wahrscheinlichkeit

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈvaːɐ̯ʃaɪ̯nliçkaɪ̯t/

🧐 What does "die Wahrscheinlichkeit" mean?

Die Wahrscheinlichkeit (noun, feminine) describes the extent or degree to which a specific event can occur. It's a measure of the certainty or uncertainty of a future occurrence.

• Main meaning: The degree of certainty or possibility that something will happen; a mathematical term for the ratio of favourable cases to possible cases. It translates to 'probability' or 'likelihood' in English.

Because the word ends in "-keit", it is always feminine and takes the article "die". There are no other articles for this word. 🚨 Mistakes usually only occur with declension.

Article rules for der, die, and das

📚 Grammar of "die Wahrscheinlichkeit" in Detail

"Wahrscheinlichkeit" is a feminine noun. It ends in "-keit", which is typical for feminine abstract nouns in German.

Declension (Beugung)

Example Sentences 📝

1. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit eines Lottogewinns ist sehr gering. (The probability of winning the lottery is very low.)
2. Der Meteorologe berechnete die Wahrscheinlichkeit für Regen am Wochenende. (The meteorologist calculated the probability of rain on the weekend.)
3. Es besteht eine hohe Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass das Projekt erfolgreich sein wird. (There is a high probability that the project will be successful.)
4. Mit an Sicherheit grenzender Wahrscheinlichkeit wird er zu spät kommen. (With a probability bordering on certainty, he will be late. / He will almost certainly be late.)
5. Die Theorie der Wahrscheinlichkeiten ist ein wichtiger Teil der Mathematik. (Probability theory is an important part of mathematics.)

🗣️ How to use "Wahrscheinlichkeit"?

"Wahrscheinlichkeit" is used in various contexts:

• Mathematics & Statistics: As a precise technical term to quantify random events (e.g., die Wahrscheinlichkeit würfeln - the probability of rolling a die).
• Everyday language: To describe the possibility or likelihood of an event occurring, often less precisely (e.g., Es besteht die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass... - There is a probability that...).
• Science & Research: For evaluating hypotheses and results.

Typical phrases:

• Die Wahrscheinlichkeit + Genitive case (e.g., die Wahrscheinlichkeit des Erfolgs - the probability of success)
• Die Wahrscheinlichkeit + für + Accusative case (e.g., die Wahrscheinlichkeit für Regen - the probability for rain)
• Die Wahrscheinlichkeit + dass-clause (e.g., die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass es klappt - the probability that it works out)
• Mit hoher/geringer Wahrscheinlichkeit (With high/low probability)
• Mit an Sicherheit grenzender Wahrscheinlichkeit (With a probability bordering on certainty / Almost certainly)

Distinction from "Möglichkeit" (Possibility): While "Möglichkeit" only states if something can happen, "Wahrscheinlichkeit" expresses how likely it is (the degree).

🧠 Mnemonics for Wahrscheinlichkeit

For the article: Remember that nouns ending in -keit (like Freundlichkeit, Schnelligkeit) are almost always feminine in German. Think of '-keit' as a 'key' (sounds similar) to the feminine gender: you need 'die' key! So, it's die Wahrscheinlichkeit.

For the meaning: Break it down: "wahr" (true) + "scheinlich" (likely/apparent) + "-keit" (-ness/-hood). It literally means 'true-likely-ness' – the quality of seeming likely or true. It measures the likelihood of something being true or happening.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Note: While similar, nuances are important. "Chance" is often more positive, "Risiko" more negative than "Wahrscheinlichkeit".

😂 A Little Joke

Warum nehmen Mathematiker einen Regenschirm mit zur Wüste?
Wegen der hohen Wahrscheinlichkeit von Sandstürmen... und weil sie immer mit allem rechnen!

(Why do mathematicians take an umbrella to the desert?
Because of the high probability of sandstorms... and because they always calculate/count on everything! - *A pun on 'rechnen' meaning both 'to calculate' and 'to count on/expect'*)

✍️ Poem about Probability

Ein Würfel rollt, das Glück rotiert,
Was kommt als Nächstes, ungeniert?
Die Sechs, die Eins, wer kann es wissen?
Die Wahrscheinlichkeit wird nie vermissen,
Zu zeigen, was im Möglichen liegt,
Auch wenn das Schicksal manchmal biegt.

(A die rolls, luck rotates,
What comes next, unabashed?
The six, the one, who can know?
Probability will never miss,
Showing what lies in the possible,
Even if fate sometimes bends.)

🧩 Little Riddle

Ich messe die Chance, doch bin keine Waage.
Ich sage dir, was kommt, doch bin keine Sage.
In Mathe zuhaus, im Alltag präsent,
Wie groß ist die Chance, dass man mich kennt?

(I measure chance, but am not a scale.
I tell you what's coming, but am not a fable.
At home in math, present in everyday life,
How big is the chance that one knows me?)

Solution: die Wahrscheinlichkeit (probability)

💡 Other Information

Word Composition:

The word "Wahrscheinlichkeit" is composed of:

• wahr: adjective (true)
• scheinlich: adjective (likely, apparent, probable) - derived from "scheinen" (to seem, appear)
• -keit: suffix used to form feminine nouns expressing a quality or state (like -ness or -hood in English).

So, it literally describes the degree to which something appears 'true' or 'likely' to happen.

Statistics: Probability theory is a fundamental field of mathematics and statistics, founded by figures like Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fermat in the 17th century.