Which to use
“gefangen” and “gewannen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,888
- “gefangen” frequency rank
- #7,053
- “gewannen” frequency rank
- 10941
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gefangen | gewannen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs fangen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs gewinnen |
Where the eye mixes gefangen and gewannen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. gefangen and gewannen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: gefangen vs gewannen
A purely visual mix-up. gefangen ([ɡəˈfaŋən]) and gewannen ([ɡəˈvanən]) 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 10941, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gefangen is recorded at frequency rank #3,888, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈfaŋən]. gewannen is at rank #7,053, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈvanən].
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 10941, this pair ranks #1,972,533 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gefangen vs gewannen
Shared letters: aegn. Private to "gefangen": f. Private to "gewannen": w.
"gefangen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "gewannen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "gefangen" and "gewannen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "gefangen" or "gewannen"?
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 "gefangen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gewannen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,972,533 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gefangen" and "gewannen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Gesängen vs gewannen". 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 #1,972,533 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.