gefeitvsgemeinWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gefeit is a verb, gemein is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gefeit” is a verb and “gemein” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#46,672
“gefeit” frequency rank
#5,262
“gemein” frequency rank
51934
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gefeit gemein
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs feien eine Eigenschaft habend, die mehreren gemeinsam ist

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gefeit and gemein apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
gefeit
6 ch
gemein

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

gefeit and gemein form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51934, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gefeit is recorded at frequency rank #46,672, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈfaɪ̯t]. gemein is at rank #5,262, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈmaɪ̯n].

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 51934, this pair ranks #1,116,367 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

gefeit#46,672
gemein#5,262

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gefeit" and "gemein" be used interchangeably?
No, "gefeit" and "gemein" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering gefeit vs gemein

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “gefeit”; for an adjective, it's “gemein”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gefeit” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list