gegenseitigvsgegenseitigenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“gegenseitig” and “gegenseitigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#3,121
“gegenseitig” frequency rank
#13,836
“gegenseitigen” frequency rank
16957
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gegenseitig gegenseitigen
Definition so, dass zwischen zwei Menschen oder Dingen ein für beide Seiten gleichermaßen geltendes Geschehen erfolgt Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gegenseitig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gegenseitig and gegenseitigen apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
gegenseitig
13 ch
gegenseitigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gegenseitig ([ˈɡeːɡn̩ˌzaɪ̯tɪç]) and gegenseitigen ([ˈɡeːɡn̩ˌzaɪ̯tɪɡn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “gegenseitig” sits inside “gegenseitigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16957, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gegenseitig is recorded at frequency rank #3,121, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡeːɡn̩ˌzaɪ̯tɪç]. gegenseitigen is at rank #13,836, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡeːɡn̩ˌzaɪ̯tɪɡn̩].

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 16957, this pair ranks #1,931,573 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gegenseitig vs gegenseitigen

Shared letters: eginst. Private to "gegenseitig": -. Private to "gegenseitigen": -.

"gegenseitig" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVVCVC  ·  "gegenseitigen" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCCVVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gegenseitigeggenseitig · geegnseitig · gegenesitig · gegennseitig · gegenseiitg · gegenseitgi · gegenseitigg · gegenseittig
  • gegenseitigeneggenseitigen · geegnseitigen · gegenesitigen · gegennseitigen · gegenseiitgen · gegenseitgien · gegenseitiegn · gegenseitigenn

Frequency comparison

gegenseitig#3,121
gegenseitigen#13,836

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gegenseitig" and "gegenseitigen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡeːɡn̩ˌzaɪ̯tɪç] versus [ˈɡeːɡn̩ˌzaɪ̯tɪɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gegenseitig" or "gegenseitigen"?
"gegenseitig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,121 in our German list, against #13,836 for "gegenseitigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gegenseitig vs gegenseitigen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gegenseitig” 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