Which to use
“gefehlt” and “geheult” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,180
- “gefehlt” frequency rank
- #34,119
- “geheult” frequency rank
- 41299
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gefehlt | geheult |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs fehlen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs heulen |
Where the eye mixes gefehlt and geheult
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. gefehlt (CVCVCCC) and geheult (CVCVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses gefehlt with geheult
A purely visual mix-up. gefehlt ([ɡəˈfeːlt]) and geheult ([ɡəˈhɔɪ̯lt]) 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 41299, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gefehlt is recorded at frequency rank #7,180, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈfeːlt]. geheult is at rank #34,119, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈhɔɪ̯lt].
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 41299, this pair ranks #1,483,583 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of gefehlt vs geheult
Shared letters: eghlt. Private to "gefehlt": f. Private to "geheult": u.
"gefehlt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC · "geheult" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "gefehlt" and "geheult" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "gefehlt" or "geheult"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "gefehlt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "geheult" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,483,583 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gefehlt" and "geheult" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "geheuer vs geheult". 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 #1,483,583 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.