Which to use
“gates” is a verb and “Gatten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,080
- “gates” frequency rank
- #18,552
- “Gatten” frequency rank
- 30632
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gates | Gatten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs gate | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Gatte |
Where the eye mixes gates and Gatten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: gates vs Gatten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gates is [ɡeɪts] while Gatten is [ˈɡatn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30632, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gates is recorded at frequency rank #12,080, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡeɪts]. Gatten is at rank #18,552, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡatn̩].
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 30632, this pair ranks #1,744,068 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gates vs Gatten
Shared letters: aegt. Private to "gates": s. Private to "Gatten": n.
"gates" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Gatten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gates" and "Gatten" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "gates" vs "Gatten" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "gates" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Gatten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,744,068 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gates" and "Gatten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Gatten vs Glätte". 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 #1,744,068 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.