freigegebenvsfreizugebenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,712
“freigegeben” frequency rank
#42,501
“freizugeben” frequency rank
51213
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature freigegeben freizugeben
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs freigeben erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs freigeben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set freigegeben and freizugeben apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
freigegeben
11 ch
freizugeben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. freigegeben ([ˈfʁaɪ̯ɡəˌɡeːbn̩]) and freizugeben ([ˈfʁaɪ̯t͡suˌɡeːbn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51213, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

freigegeben is recorded at frequency rank #8,712, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfʁaɪ̯ɡəˌɡeːbn̩]. freizugeben is at rank #42,501, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfʁaɪ̯t͡suˌɡeːbn̩].

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 51213, this pair ranks #1,144,149 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of freigegeben vs freizugeben

Shared letters: befginr. Private to "freigegeben": -. Private to "freizugeben": uz.

"freigegeben" · 11 letters · shape CCVVCVCVCVC  ·  "freizugeben" · 11 letters · shape CCVVCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • freigegebenferigegeben · ffreigegeben · fregiegeben · freieggeben · freigeegben · freigegbeen · freigegebben · freigegebenn
  • freizugebenferizugeben · ffreizugeben · freiuzgeben · freizgueben · freizuegben · freizugbeen · freizugebben · freizugebenn

Frequency comparison

freigegeben#8,712
freizugeben#42,501

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "freigegeben" and "freizugeben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfʁaɪ̯ɡəˌɡeːbn̩] versus [ˈfʁaɪ̯t͡suˌɡeːbn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "freigegeben" or "freizugeben"?
"freigegeben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,712 in our German list, against #42,501 for "freizugeben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering freigegeben vs freizugeben

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 “freigegeben” 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