geärgertvsgezögertWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#17,016
“geärgert” frequency rank
#43,223
“gezögert” frequency rank
60239
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature geärgert gezögert
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs ärgern Partizip Perfekt des Verbs zögern

Where the eye mixes geärgert and gezögert

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

8 ch
geärgert
8 ch
gezögert

Why the eye confuses geärgert with gezögert

A purely visual mix-up. geärgert ([ɡəˈʔɛʁɡɐt]) and gezögert ([ɡəˈt͡søːɡɐt]) 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 60239, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

geärgert is recorded at frequency rank #17,016, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈʔɛʁɡɐt]. gezögert is at rank #43,223, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈt͡søːɡɐt].

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 60239, this pair ranks #794,433 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of geärgert vs gezögert

Shared letters: egrt. Private to "geärgert": ä. Private to "gezögert": .

"geärgert" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCC  ·  "gezögert" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "geärgert" for "gezögert" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈʔɛʁɡɐt] versus [ɡəˈt͡søːɡɐt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "geärgert" vs "gezögert" - which ranks higher?
"geärgert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,016 in our German list, against #43,223 for "gezögert". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "geärgert" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "gezögert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #794,433 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "geärgert" and "gezögert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gevögelt vs gezögert". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #794,433 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list