Which to use
“geben” is a verb and “gemein” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #229
- “geben” frequency rank
- #5,262
- “gemein” frequency rank
- 5491
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | geben | gemein |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem etwas reichen beziehungsweise in die Nähe oder Hände legen | eine Eigenschaft habend, die mehreren gemeinsam ist |
Where the eye mixes geben and gemein
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between geben and gemein
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: geben is [ˈɡeːbn̩] while gemein is [ɡəˈmaɪ̯n]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5491, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
geben is recorded at frequency rank #229, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɡeːbn̩]. gemein is at rank #5,262, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈmaɪ̯n].
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 5491, this pair ranks #1,994,586 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of geben vs gemein
Shared letters: egn. Private to "geben": b. Private to "gemein": im.
"geben" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "gemein" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "geben" for "gemein" ever safe?
Frequency check: "geben" vs "gemein" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "geben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gemein" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,994,586 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "geben" and "gemein" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gemein vs Geweih". 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 #1,994,586 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.