Which to use
“gedenke” and “gedenken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,511
- “gedenke” frequency rank
- #5,708
- “gedenken” frequency rank
- 48219
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gedenke | gedenken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs gedenken | die Erinnerung an jemand oder etwas pflegen, wachhalten |
Where the eye mixes gedenke and gedenken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. gedenke runs 7 letters (CVCVCCV) against gedenken's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between gedenke and gedenken
A purely visual mix-up. gedenke ([ɡəˈdɛŋkə]) and gedenken ([ɡəˈdɛŋkn̩]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “gedenke” sits inside “gedenken”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48219, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gedenke is recorded at frequency rank #42,511, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈdɛŋkə]. gedenken is at rank #5,708, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈdɛŋkn̩].
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 48219, this pair ranks #1,256,512 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of gedenke vs gedenken
Shared letters: degkn. Private to "gedenke": -. Private to "gedenken": -.
"gedenke" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "gedenken" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gedenke" and "gedenken" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gedenke" or "gedenken"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "gedenke" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gedenken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,256,512 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gedenke" and "gedenken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gedenke vs Gewerke". 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 #1,256,512 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.