GebäudenvsGemäldenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,797
“Gebäuden” frequency rank
#23,149
“Gemälden” frequency rank
29946
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Gebäuden Gemälden
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Gebäude Dativ Plural des Substantivs Gemälde

Where the eye mixes Gebäuden and Gemälden

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Gebäuden (CVCVVCVC) and Gemälden (CVCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

8 ch
Gebäuden
8 ch
Gemälden

Visual trap between Gebäuden and Gemälden

A purely visual mix-up. Gebäuden ([ɡəˈbɔɪ̯dn̩]) and Gemälden ([ɡəˈmɛːldn̩]) 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 29946, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Gebäuden is recorded at frequency rank #6,797, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈbɔɪ̯dn̩]. Gemälden is at rank #23,149, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈmɛːldn̩].

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 29946, this pair ranks #1,757,260 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Gebäuden vs Gemälden

Shared letters: degnä. Private to "Gebäuden": bu. Private to "Gemälden": lm.

"Gebäuden" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC  ·  "Gemälden" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Gebäuden" for "Gemälden" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈbɔɪ̯dn̩] versus [ɡəˈmɛːldn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Gebäuden" or "Gemälden"?
"Gebäuden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,797 in our German list, against #23,149 for "Gemälden". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Gebäuden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Gemälden" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,757,260 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Gebäuden" and "Gemälden" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gemahlen vs Gemälden". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,757,260 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