gefälltvsgeselltWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#991
“gefällt” frequency rank
#30,580
“gesellt” frequency rank
31571
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gefällt gesellt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs fällen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs gesellen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
gefällt
7 ch
gesellt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gefällt ([ɡəˈfɛlt]) and gesellt ([ɡəˈzɛlt]) 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 31571, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gefällt is recorded at frequency rank #991, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛlt]. gesellt is at rank #30,580, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈzɛlt].

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 31571, this pair ranks #1,725,429 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gefällt vs gesellt

Shared letters: eglt. Private to "gefällt": . Private to "gesellt": s.

"gefällt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC  ·  "gesellt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • geselltegsellt · geesllt · geselltt · geselt · geseltl · geslelt · gessellt · ggesellt

Frequency comparison

gefällt#991
gesellt#30,580

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gefällt" and "gesellt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈfɛlt] versus [ɡəˈzɛlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gefällt" or "gesellt"?
"gefällt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #991 in our German list, against #30,580 for "gesellt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering gefällt vs gesellt

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 “gefällt” 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