Which to use
“Gefängnis” and “Gefängnisse” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,825
- “Gefängnis” frequency rank
- #20,592
- “Gefängnisse” frequency rank
- 23417
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Gefängnis | Gefängnisse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gebäude oder Anlage, in dem Personen, die vom Gericht zu einer unbedingten Haftstrafe verurteilt wurden, unter Verschluss gehalten werden | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Gefängnis |
Where the eye mixes Gefängnis and Gefängnisse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Gefängnis runs 9 letters (CVCVCCCVC) against Gefängnisse's 11 (CVCVCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Gefängnis and Gefängnisse
A purely visual mix-up. Gefängnis ([ɡəˈfɛŋnɪs]) and Gefängnisse ([ɡəˈfɛŋnɪsə]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Gefängnis” sits inside “Gefängnisse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23417, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Gefängnis is recorded at frequency rank #2,825, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛŋnɪs]. Gefängnisse is at rank #20,592, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛŋnɪsə].
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 23417, this pair ranks #1,861,580 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Gefängnis vs Gefängnisse
Shared letters: efginsä. Private to "Gefängnis": -. Private to "Gefängnisse": -.
"Gefängnis" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCCVC · "Gefängnisse" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Gefängnis" and "Gefängnisse" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Gefängnis" or "Gefängnisse" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Gefängnis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Gefängnisse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,861,580 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Gefängnis" and "Gefängnisse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Gefängnisse vs Gefängnisses". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,861,580 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.