German noun endings, and what each one is worth

Every page here states one ending, names the nouns that follow it, and names the nouns that do not. The percentages are counted against a finite exam syllabus rather than the whole language, so they are figures you can actually plan around.

Endings you can trust

These are suffixes, not spellings. German builds the noun with them, and the gender comes with the suffix.

die …ung German words ending in -ung A noun built with -ung is die. The suffix has no second case to learn. 100% across 116 nouns, 0 breaking it
die …ur German words ending in -ur A noun ending in -ur is die, with a short list of exceptions worth knowing by name. 83% across 12 nouns, 2 breaking it
die …erin German words ending in -erin A noun ending in -erin is die. The part doing the work is -in. 100% across 37 nouns, 0 breaking it
die …ion German words ending in -ion A noun ending in -ion is die, and you probably already know what it means. 96% across 25 nouns, 1 breaking it
die …ie German words ending in -ie A noun ending in -ie is die, in both of the ways German pronounces it, with a short list of borrowings that came in otherwise. 95% across 19 nouns, 1 breaking it
die …heit German words ending in -heit A noun ending in -heit is die. There is nothing behind it waiting to catch you out. 100% across 12 nouns, 0 breaking it
die …schaft German words ending in -schaft A noun ending in -schaft is die, and English speakers already own half the vocabulary. 100% across 11 nouns, 0 breaking it
die …keit German words ending in -keit A noun ending in -keit is die, for the same reason -heit is: it is the same suffix. 100% across 10 nouns, 0 breaking it
die …ik German words ending in -ik A noun ending in -ik is die, with a short list of words that end that way and are not. 83% across 12 nouns, 2 breaking it
das …chen German words ending in -chen A noun ending in -chen is das, no matter which article the word had before. 100% across 6 nouns, 0 breaking it
die …istin German words ending in -istin A noun ending in -istin is die, for the same reason a noun ending in -erin is. 100% across 5 nouns, 0 breaking it
die …ität German words ending in -ität A noun ending in -ität is die, and you probably already know what it means. 100% across 5 nouns, 0 breaking it
die …tät German words ending in -tät Every noun ending in -tät is die. The longer -ität is the same ending with more word in front of it.
die …enz German words ending in -enz A noun ending in -enz is die, as long as -enz is an ending and not the whole word. 100% across 3 nouns, 0 breaking it
die …anz German words ending in -anz A noun ending in -anz is die, as long as -anz is an ending and not the whole word. 100% across 1 nouns, 0 breaking it
das …ment German words ending in -ment A noun ending in -ment is das, and then there is Moment. 80% across 5 nouns, 1 breaking it
das …tum German words ending in -tum A noun built with -tum is das, and the two that are not are short enough to memorise now.
das …lein German words ending in -lein A noun ending in -lein is das. The original gender is overwritten, not consulted.
der …ling German words ending in -ling A noun built with -ling is der. The English loans that end in the same letters are not it. 100% across 1 nouns, 0 breaking it
der …ismus German words ending in -ismus A noun ending in -ismus is der. Every one of them, and you already know most of the words. 100% across 1 nouns, 0 breaking it
die …eurin German words ending in -eurin A noun ending in -eurin is die, because the -in on the end is what decides. 100% across 1 nouns, 0 breaking it
die …orin German words ending in -orin A noun ending in -orin is die. Add -in to an -or noun and the gender flips with it.
das …um German words ending in -um A noun ending in the Latin -um is das. The deck holds no counter-example. 100% across 10 nouns, 0 breaking it
der …or German words ending in -or A noun ending in -or is der. The deck holds no counter-example. 100% across 9 nouns, 0 breaking it
das …zeug German words ending in -zeug A noun ending in -zeug is das, because das Zeug is the word it ends on. 100% across 7 nouns, 0 breaking it

Endings that hold up in practice

No grammar calls these rules, but they are consistent enough across an exam syllabus to be worth the guess.

Endings you should stop trusting

Common advice states these as rules. Measured against the words an exam actually asks for, they are not, and knowing how far off is the useful part.