Which to use
“gebrauchen” is a verb and “gebraucht” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,986
- “gebrauchen” frequency rank
- #2,107
- “gebraucht” frequency rank
- 7093
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gebrauchen | gebraucht |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas verwenden, benutzen | bereits verwendet, nicht neu |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gebrauchen and gebraucht apart are highlighted. They share 8 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: gebrauchen is [ɡəˈbʁaʊ̯xn̩] while gebraucht is [ɡəˈbʁaʊ̯xt]. 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 7093, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gebrauchen is recorded at frequency rank #4,986, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈbʁaʊ̯xn̩]. gebraucht is at rank #2,107, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈbʁaʊ̯xt].
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 7093, this pair ranks #1,989,403 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gebrauchen vs gebraucht
Shared letters: abceghru. Private to "gebrauchen": n. Private to "gebraucht": t.
"gebrauchen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCCVC · "gebraucht" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- gebrauchen ← egbrauchen · gberauchen · gebaruchen · gebbrauchen · gebracuhen · gebraucchen · gebraucehn · gebrauchenn
- gebraucht ← egbraucht · gberaucht · gebarucht · gebbraucht · gebracuht · gebrauccht · gebrauchht · gebrauchtt
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gebrauchen" and "gebraucht" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gebrauchen" or "gebraucht"?
Remembering gebrauchen vs gebraucht
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “gebrauchen”; for an adjective, it's “gebraucht”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gebrauchen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable