Which to use
“geheim” and “geheimer” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,373
- “geheim” frequency rank
- #15,099
- “geheimer” frequency rank
- 23472
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | geheim | geheimer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht für jedermann erkennbar | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs geheim |
Where the eye mixes geheim and geheimer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. geheim runs 6 letters (CVCVVC) against geheimer's 8 (CVCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: geheim vs geheimer
A purely visual mix-up. geheim ([ɡəˈhaɪ̯m]) and geheimer ([ɡəˈhaɪ̯mɐ]) 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) - “geheim” sits inside “geheimer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23472, 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]. geheimer is at rank #15,099, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈhaɪ̯mɐ].
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 23472, this pair ranks #1,860,881 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of geheim vs geheimer
Shared letters: eghim. Private to "geheim": -. Private to "geheimer": r.
"geheim" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "geheimer" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "geheim" for "geheimer" ever safe?
Which is more common, "geheim" or "geheimer"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "geheim" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "geheimer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,860,881 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "geheim" and "geheimer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "geheimer vs geheuer". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,860,881 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.