gehvsGenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: geh is a verb, Gen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“geh” is a verb and “Gen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,035
“geh” frequency rank
#4,793
“Gen” frequency rank
5828
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature geh Gen
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs gehen Sequenz auf der DNA, die mit einer bestimmten Basenabfolge für eine Ribonukleinsäure codiert

Where the eye mixes geh and Gen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

3 ch
geh
3 ch
Gen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: geh is [ɡeː] while Gen is [ɡeːn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - h in “geh” becomes n in “Gen”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5828, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

geh is recorded at frequency rank #1,035, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡeː]. Gen is at rank #4,793, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡeːn].

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 5828, this pair ranks #1,993,589 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of geh vs Gen

Shared letters: eg. Private to "geh": h. Private to "Gen": n.

"geh" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "Gen" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "geh" and "Gen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "geh" is a verb and "Gen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "geh" or "Gen"?
"geh" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,035 in our German list, against #4,793 for "Gen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

You've compared "geh" and "Gen". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "geh" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Gen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,993,589 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "geh" and "Gen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Gao vs Gen". Nearby pair

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list