Which to use
“gehorsam” is an adjective and “gehörst” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,638
- “gehorsam” frequency rank
- #14,300
- “gehörst” frequency rank
- 29938
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gehorsam | gehörst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Anweisungen oder Befehle eines Vorgesetzten oder der Eltern/eines Vormundes befolgend | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs gehören |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gehorsam and gehörst apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gehorsam is [ɡəˈhoːɐ̯ˌzaːm] while gehörst is [ɡəˈhøːɐ̯st]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29938, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gehorsam is recorded at frequency rank #15,638, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈhoːɐ̯ˌzaːm]. gehörst is at rank #14,300, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈhøːɐ̯st].
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 29938, this pair ranks #1,757,447 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gehorsam vs gehörst
Shared letters: eghrs. Private to "gehorsam": amo. Private to "gehörst": tö.
"gehorsam" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "gehörst" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- gehorsam ← eghorsam · gehhorsam · gehorasm · gehorrsam · gehorsamm · gehorsma · gehorssam · gehosram
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gehorsam" and "gehörst" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gehorsam" or "gehörst"?
Remembering gehorsam vs gehörst
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “gehorsam”; for a verb, it's “gehörst”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gehorsam” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable