Which to use
“gefärbt” is a verb and “gefärbten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,912
- “gefärbt” frequency rank
- #30,568
- “gefärbten” frequency rank
- 40480
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gefärbt | gefärbten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs färben | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gefärbt |
Where the eye mixes gefärbt and gefärbten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. gefärbt runs 7 letters (CVCVCCC) against gefärbten's 9 (CVCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses gefärbt with gefärbten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gefärbt is [ɡəˈfɛʁpt] while gefärbten is [ɡəˈfɛʁptn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “gefärbt” sits inside “gefärbten”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40480, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gefärbt is recorded at frequency rank #9,912, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛʁpt]. gefärbten is at rank #30,568, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛʁptn̩].
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 40480, this pair ranks #1,507,251 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of gefärbt vs gefärbten
Shared letters: befgrtä. Private to "gefärbt": -. Private to "gefärbten": n.
"gefärbt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC · "gefärbten" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gefärbt" and "gefärbten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gefärbt" or "gefärbten"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "gefärbt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gefärbten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,507,251 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gefärbt" and "gefärbten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gefärbten vs geparkten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,507,251 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.