Which to use
“geheim” and “gemein” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,373
- “geheim” frequency rank
- #5,262
- “gemein” frequency rank
- 13635
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | geheim | gemein |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht für jedermann erkennbar | eine Eigenschaft habend, die mehreren gemeinsam ist |
Where the eye mixes geheim and gemein
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. geheim and gemein follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between geheim and gemein
A purely visual mix-up. geheim ([ɡəˈhaɪ̯m]) and gemein ([ɡəˈmaɪ̯n]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13635, 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]. gemein is at rank #5,262, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈmaɪ̯n].
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 13635, this pair ranks #1,956,723 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of geheim vs gemein
Shared letters: egim. Private to "geheim": h. Private to "gemein": n.
"geheim" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "gemein" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "geheim" for "gemein" ever safe?
Frequency check: "geheim" vs "gemein" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "geheim" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gemein" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,956,723 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "geheim" and "gemein" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "geheim vs Geweih". 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 #1,956,723 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.