gegründet vs gezündet, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#2,295
“gegründet” frequency rank: #27,326
“gezündet” frequency rank: 29621
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	gegründet	gezündet
Definition	Partizip Perfekt des Verbs gründen	Partizip Perfekt des Verbs zünden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gegründet and gezündet apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch

gegründet

8 ch

gezündet

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gegründet ([ɡəˈɡʁʏndət]) and gezündet ([ɡəˈt͡sʏndət]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29621, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gegründet is recorded at frequency rank #2,295, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈɡʁʏndət]. gezündet is at rank #27,326, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈt͡sʏndət].

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 29621, this pair ranks #1,763,438 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gegründet vs gezündet

Shared letters: degntü. Private to "gegründet": r. Private to "gezündet": z.

"gegründet" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "gezündet" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

gegründet#2,295

gezündet#27,326

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gegründet" and "gezündet" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈɡʁʏndət] versus [ɡəˈt͡sʏndət]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "gegründet" or "gezündet"?

"gegründet" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,295 in our German list, against #27,326 for "gezündet". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering gegründet vs gezündet

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 “gegründet” entry
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