gebevsgrabeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,078
“gebe” frequency rank
#21,633
“grabe” frequency rank
22711
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gebe grabe
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs geben 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs graben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gebe and grabe apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
gebe
5 ch
grabe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gebe ([ˈɡeːbə]) and grabe ([ˈɡʁaːbə]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22711, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gebe is recorded at frequency rank #1,078, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɡeːbə]. grabe is at rank #21,633, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈɡʁaːbə].

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 22711, this pair ranks #1,870,720 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gebe vs grabe

Shared letters: beg. Private to "gebe": -. Private to "grabe": ar.

"gebe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "grabe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gebeegbe · gbee · gebbe · geeb · ggebe
  • grabegarbe · ggrabe · grabbe · graeb · grbae · grrabe · rgabe

Frequency comparison

gebe#1,078
grabe#21,633

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gebe" and "grabe" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡeːbə] versus [ˈɡʁaːbə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gebe" or "grabe"?
"gebe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,078 in our German list, against #21,633 for "grabe". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering gebe vs grabe

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 “gebe” 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