Which to use
“gefällig” and “gewaltig” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,557
- “gefällig” frequency rank
- #7,478
- “gewaltig” frequency rank
- 26035
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gefällig | gewaltig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem einen Dienst (Gefallen) erweisend | sehr groß oder sehr bedeutend |
Where the eye mixes gefällig and gewaltig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. gefällig and gewaltig follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: gefällig vs gewaltig
A purely visual mix-up. gefällig ([ɡəˈfɛlɪç]) and gewaltig ([ɡəˈvaltɪç]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26035, 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]. gewaltig is at rank #7,478, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈvaltɪç].
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 26035, this pair ranks #1,824,186 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gefällig vs gewaltig
Shared letters: egil. Private to "gefällig": fä. Private to "gewaltig": atw.
"gefällig" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "gewaltig" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- gewaltig ← egwaltig · geawltig · gewalitg · gewalltig · gewaltgi · gewaltigg · gewalttig · gewatlig
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "gefällig" for "gewaltig" ever safe?
Frequency check: "gefällig" vs "gewaltig" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "gefällig" and "gewaltig" 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 "gewaltig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,824,186 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gefällig" and "gewaltig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gefällig 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 #1,824,186 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.