Which to use
“gebrauchen” is a verb and “gebrauchten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,986
- “gebrauchen” frequency rank
- #14,570
- “gebrauchten” frequency rank
- 19556
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gebrauchen | gebrauchten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas verwenden, benutzen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs gebraucht |
Where the eye mixes gebrauchen and gebrauchten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. gebrauchen runs 10 letters (CVCCVVCCVC) against gebrauchten's 11 (CVCCVVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses gebrauchen with gebrauchten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gebrauchen is [ɡəˈbʁaʊ̯xn̩] while gebrauchten is [ɡəˈbʁaʊ̯xtn̩]. 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 19556, 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]. gebrauchten is at rank #14,570, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈbʁaʊ̯xtn̩].
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 19556, this pair ranks #1,907,114 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gebrauchen vs gebrauchten
Shared letters: abceghnru. Private to "gebrauchen": -. Private to "gebrauchten": t.
"gebrauchen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCCVC · "gebrauchten" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- gebrauchen ← egbrauchen · gberauchen · gebaruchen · gebbrauchen · gebracuhen · gebraucchen · gebraucehn · gebrauchenn
- gebrauchten ← egbrauchten · gberauchten · gebaruchten · gebbrauchten · gebracuhten · gebraucchten · gebrauchetn · gebrauchhten
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "gebrauchen" for "gebrauchten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "gebrauchen" or "gebrauchten"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "gebrauchen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gebrauchten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,907,114 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gebrauchen" and "gebrauchten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gebrachte vs gebrauchten". 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 #1,907,114 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.