Which to use
“gefährden” is a verb and “gefährdeten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,611
- “gefährden” frequency rank
- #21,981
- “gefährdeten” frequency rank
- 29592
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gefährden | gefährdeten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Gefahr bringen oder überlassen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs gefährdet |
Where the eye mixes gefährden and gefährdeten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. gefährden runs 9 letters (CVCVCCCVC) against gefährdeten's 11 (CVCVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses gefährden with gefährdeten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gefährden is [ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯dn̩] while gefährdeten is [ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯dətn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 29592, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gefährden is recorded at frequency rank #7,611, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯dn̩]. gefährdeten is at rank #21,981, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛːɐ̯dətn̩].
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 29592, this pair ranks #1,763,959 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gefährden vs gefährdeten
Shared letters: defghnrä. Private to "gefährden": -. Private to "gefährdeten": t.
"gefährden" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCCVC · "gefährdeten" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "gefährden" and "gefährdeten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "gefährden" vs "gefährdeten" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "gefährden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gefährdeten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,763,959 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gefährden" and "gefährdeten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gefährdeten vs gefahrenen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,763,959 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.