gebrochenvsgebrochenerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“gebrochen” and “gebrochener” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#4,510
“gebrochen” frequency rank
#47,417
“gebrochener” frequency rank
51927
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gebrochen gebrochener
Definition eine Bruchzahl darstellend Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gebrochen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gebrochen and gebrochener apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
gebrochen
11 ch
gebrochener

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gebrochen ([ɡəˈbʁɔxn̩]) and gebrochener ([ɡəˈbʁɔxənɐ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “gebrochen” sits inside “gebrochener”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51927, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gebrochen is recorded at frequency rank #4,510, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈbʁɔxn̩]. gebrochener is at rank #47,417, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈbʁɔxənɐ].

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 51927, this pair ranks #1,116,632 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gebrochen vs gebrochener

Shared letters: bceghnor. Private to "gebrochen": -. Private to "gebrochener": -.

"gebrochen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "gebrochener" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gebrochenegbrochen · gberochen · gebbrochen · geborchen · gebrcohen · gebrocchen · gebrocehn · gebrochenn
  • gebrocheneregbrochener · gberochener · gebbrochener · geborchener · gebrcohener · gebrocchener · gebrocehner · gebrocheenr

Frequency comparison

gebrochen#4,510
gebrochener#47,417

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gebrochen" and "gebrochener" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈbʁɔxn̩] versus [ɡəˈbʁɔxənɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gebrochen" or "gebrochener"?
"gebrochen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,510 in our German list, against #47,417 for "gebrochener". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering gebrochen vs gebrochener

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gebrochen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list