Which to use
“gefällig” and “gesellig” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,557
- “gefällig” frequency rank
- #43,220
- “gesellig” frequency rank
- 61777
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gefällig | gesellig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem einen Dienst (Gefallen) erweisend | in netter Gesellschaft |
Where the eye mixes gefällig and gesellig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: gefällig vs gesellig
A purely visual mix-up. gefällig ([ɡəˈfɛlɪç]) and gesellig ([ɡəˈzɛlɪç]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61777, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gefällig is recorded at frequency rank #18,557, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛlɪç]. gesellig is at rank #43,220, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈzɛlɪç].
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 61777, this pair ranks #737,095 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of gefällig vs gesellig
Shared letters: egil. Private to "gefällig": fä. Private to "gesellig": s.
"gefällig" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "gesellig" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- gesellig ← egsellig · geesllig · geselig · geselilg · gesellgi · geselligg · geslelig · gessellig
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gefällig" and "gesellig" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "gefällig" or "gesellig" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "gefällig" and "gesellig" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "gefällig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gesellig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #737,095 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gefällig" and "gesellig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gesell vs gesellig". 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 #737,095 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.