Which to use
“Gefühl” and “Gefühle” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #762
- “Gefühl” frequency rank
- #2,339
- “Gefühle” frequency rank
- 3101
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Gefühl | Gefühle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | das subjektive Erleben von Erregung und hirnchemischer Aktivität | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Gefühl |
Where the eye mixes Gefühl and Gefühle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Gefühl and Gefühle
A purely visual mix-up. Gefühl ([ɡəˈfyːl]) and Gefühle ([ɡəˈfyːlə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “Gefühl” sits inside “Gefühle”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3101, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Gefühl is recorded at frequency rank #762, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈfyːl]. Gefühle is at rank #2,339, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈfyːlə].
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 3101, this pair ranks #2,000,941 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Gefühl vs Gefühle
Shared letters: efghlü. Private to "Gefühl": -. Private to "Gefühle": -.
"Gefühl" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "Gefühle" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Gefühl" and "Gefühle" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Gefühl" vs "Gefühle" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Gefühl" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Gefühle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,000,941 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Gefühl" and "Gefühle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Gefühle vs Gefühls". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #2,000,941 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.