GefahrvsGefährteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#990
“Gefahr” frequency rank
#36,349
“Gefährte” frequency rank
37339
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Gefahr Gefährte
Definition die Möglichkeit, dass Schaden oder eine Verletzung entsteht Person, die einer anderen Person durch Zuneigung oder Schicksal verbunden ist und mit der man viel Zeit verbringt, zum Beispiel auch, indem man gemeinsam etwas unternimmt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Gefahr and Gefährte apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Gefahr
8 ch
Gefährte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Gefahr ([ɡəˈfaːɐ̯]) and Gefährte ([ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯tə]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37339, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Gefahr is recorded at frequency rank #990, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈfaːɐ̯]. Gefährte is at rank #36,349, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯tə].

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 37339, this pair ranks #1,592,809 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Gefahr vs Gefährte

Shared letters: efghr. Private to "Gefahr": a. Private to "Gefährte": .

"Gefahr" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "Gefährte" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Gefahregfahr · geafhr · gefahhr · gefahrr · gefarh · geffahr · gefhar · gfeahr

Frequency comparison

Gefahr#990
Gefährte#36,349

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Gefahr" and "Gefährte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈfaːɐ̯] versus [ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯tə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Gefahr" or "Gefährte"?
"Gefahr" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #990 in our German list, against #36,349 for "Gefährte". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Gefahr vs Gefährte

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 “Gefahr” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list