GattevsGattenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,344
“Gatte” frequency rank
#18,552
“Gatten” frequency rank
40896
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Gatte Gatten
Definition der Ehemann Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Gatte

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Gatte and Gatten apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Gatte
6 ch
Gatten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Gatte ([ˈɡatə]) and Gatten ([ˈɡatn̩]) 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) - “Gatte” sits inside “Gatten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40896, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Gatte is recorded at frequency rank #22,344, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡatə]. 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 40896, this pair ranks #1,495,229 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Gatte vs Gatten

Shared letters: aegt. Private to "Gatte": -. Private to "Gatten": n.

"Gatte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Gatten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Gatteagtte · gatet · ggatte · gtate
  • Gattenagtten · gaten · gatetn · gattenn · gattne · ggatten · gtaten

Frequency comparison

Gatte#22,344
Gatten#18,552

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Gatte" and "Gatten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡatə] versus [ˈɡatn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Gatte" or "Gatten"?
"Gatten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,552 in our German list, against #22,344 for "Gatte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Gatte vs Gatten

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 “Gatte” 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