Which to use
“gebrauchen” is a verb and “gebrochen” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,986
- “gebrauchen” frequency rank
- #4,510
- “gebrochen” frequency rank
- 9496
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gebrauchen | gebrochen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas verwenden, benutzen | eine Bruchzahl darstellend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gebrauchen and gebrochen 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 gebrochen is [ɡəˈbʁɔxn̩]. 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 9496, 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]. gebrochen is at rank #4,510, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈbʁɔxn̩].
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 9496, this pair ranks #1,979,673 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gebrauchen vs gebrochen
Shared letters: bceghnr. Private to "gebrauchen": au. Private to "gebrochen": o.
"gebrauchen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCCVC · "gebrochen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- gebrauchen ← egbrauchen · gberauchen · gebaruchen · gebbrauchen · gebracuhen · gebraucchen · gebraucehn · gebrauchenn
- gebrochen ← egbrochen · gberochen · gebbrochen · geborchen · gebrcohen · gebrocchen · gebrocehn · gebrochenn
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gebrauchen" and "gebrochen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gebrauchen" or "gebrochen"?
Remembering gebrauchen vs gebrochen
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 “gebrochen”.
- 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