gefälltvsgemaltConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#991
“gefällt” frequency rank
#7,767
“gemalt” frequency rank
8758
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gefällt gemalt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs fällen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs malen

Where the eye mixes gefällt and gemalt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

7 ch
gefällt
6 ch
gemalt

Visual trap between gefällt and gemalt

A purely visual mix-up. gefällt ([ɡəˈfɛlt]) and gemalt ([ɡəˈmaːlt]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8758, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gefällt is recorded at frequency rank #991, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛlt]. gemalt is at rank #7,767, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈmaːlt].

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 8758, this pair ranks #1,982,981 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gefällt vs gemalt

Shared letters: eglt. Private to "gefällt": . Private to "gemalt": am.

"gefällt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC  ·  "gemalt" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gemaltegmalt · geamlt · gemallt · gemaltt · gematl · gemlat · gemmalt · ggemalt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gefällt" and "gemalt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈfɛlt] versus [ɡəˈmaːlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "gefällt" or "gemalt" show up more?
"gefällt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #991 in our German list, against #7,767 for "gemalt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "gefällt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "gemalt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,982,981 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "gefällt" and "gemalt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gemalt vs gemixt". 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 #1,982,981 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list