geheimvsgeheimeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,373
“geheim” frequency rank
#6,539
“geheime” frequency rank
14912
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature geheim geheime
Definition nicht für jedermann erkennbar Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs geheim

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set geheim and geheime apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
geheim
7 ch
geheime

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. geheim ([ɡəˈhaɪ̯m]) and geheime ([ɡəˈhaɪ̯mə]) 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) - “geheim” sits inside “geheime”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14912, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

geheim is recorded at frequency rank #8,373, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈhaɪ̯m]. geheime is at rank #6,539, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈhaɪ̯mə].

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 14912, this pair ranks #1,947,808 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of geheim vs geheime

Shared letters: eghim. Private to "geheim": -. Private to "geheime": -.

"geheim" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "geheime" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • geheimegheim · geehim · geheimm · gehemi · gehheim · gehiem · ggeheim · gheeim
  • geheimeegheime · geehime · geheiem · geheimme · gehemie · gehheime · gehieme · ggeheime

Frequency comparison

geheim#8,373
geheime#6,539

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "geheim" and "geheime" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈhaɪ̯m] versus [ɡəˈhaɪ̯mə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "geheim" or "geheime"?
"geheime" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,539 in our German list, against #8,373 for "geheim". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering geheim vs geheime

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 “geheim” 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