gefälschtevsgefälschtenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,712
“gefälschte” frequency rank
#20,591
“gefälschten” frequency rank
37303
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gefälschte gefälschten
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gefälscht Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gefälscht

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gefälschte and gefälschten apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
gefälschte
11 ch
gefälschten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gefälschte ([ɡəˈfɛlʃtə]) and gefälschten ([ɡəˈfɛlʃtn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “gefälschte” sits inside “gefälschten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37303, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gefälschte is recorded at frequency rank #16,712, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛlʃtə]. gefälschten is at rank #20,591, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛlʃtn̩].

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 37303, this pair ranks #1,593,698 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gefälschte vs gefälschten

Shared letters: cefghlstä. Private to "gefälschte": -. Private to "gefälschten": n.

"gefälschte" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCCCV  ·  "gefälschten" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCCCVC

Frequency comparison

gefälschte#16,712
gefälschten#20,591

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gefälschte" and "gefälschten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈfɛlʃtə] versus [ɡəˈfɛlʃtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gefälschte" or "gefälschten"?
"gefälschte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,712 in our German list, against #20,591 for "gefälschten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gefälschte vs gefälschten

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 “gefälschte” 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