Which to use
“gebrannt” is a verb and “gespannt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,364
- “gebrannt” frequency rank
- #2,596
- “gespannt” frequency rank
- 17960
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gebrannt | gespannt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs brennen | voller Erwartung darauf, wie etwas sein wird |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gebrannt and gespannt apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gebrannt is [ɡəˈbʁant] while gespannt is [ɡəˈʃpant]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17960, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gebrannt is recorded at frequency rank #15,364, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈbʁant]. gespannt is at rank #2,596, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈʃpant].
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 17960, this pair ranks #1,922,685 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gebrannt vs gespannt
Shared letters: aegnt. Private to "gebrannt": br. Private to "gespannt": ps.
"gebrannt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC · "gespannt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gebrannt" and "gespannt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gebrannt" or "gespannt"?
Remembering gebrannt vs gespannt
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “gebrannt”; for an adjective, it's “gespannt”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gebrannt” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable