Which to use
“Gefängnissen” and “Gefängnisses” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,731
- “Gefängnissen” frequency rank
- #42,514
- “Gefängnisses” frequency rank
- 65245
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Gefängnissen | Gefängnisses |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Gefängnis | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Gefängnis |
Where the eye mixes Gefängnissen and Gefängnisses
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. Gefängnissen and Gefängnisses follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between Gefängnissen and Gefängnisses
A purely visual mix-up. Gefängnissen ([ɡəˈfɛŋnɪsn̩]) and Gefängnisses ([ɡəˈfɛŋnɪsəs]) 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 a single letter - n in “Gefängnissen” becomes s in “Gefängnisses”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65245, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Gefängnissen is recorded at frequency rank #22,731, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛŋnɪsn̩]. Gefängnisses is at rank #42,514, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛŋnɪsəs].
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 65245, this pair ranks #613,535 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Gefängnissen vs Gefängnisses
Shared letters: efginsä. Private to "Gefängnissen": -. Private to "Gefängnisses": -.
"Gefängnissen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC · "Gefängnisses" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Gefängnissen" for "Gefängnisses" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Gefängnissen" or "Gefängnisses" 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 "Gefängnissen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Gefängnisses" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #613,535 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Gefängnissen" and "Gefängnisses" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Gefängnisse vs Gefängnisses". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #613,535 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.