GeistevsGeistesTell them apart

Which to use

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

#18,259
“Geiste” frequency rank
#9,029
“Geistes” frequency rank
27288
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Geiste Geistes
Definition Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Geist Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Geist

Where the eye mixes Geiste and Geistes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Geiste runs 6 letters (CVVCCV) against Geistes's 7 (CVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Geiste
7 ch
Geistes

Visual trap between Geiste and Geistes

A purely visual mix-up. Geiste ([ˈɡaɪ̯stə]) and Geistes ([ˈɡaɪ̯stəs]) 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) - “Geiste” sits inside “Geistes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27288, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Geiste is recorded at frequency rank #18,259, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡaɪ̯stə]. Geistes is at rank #9,029, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡaɪ̯stəs].

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 27288, this pair ranks #1,804,219 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Geiste vs Geistes

Shared letters: egist. Private to "Geiste": -. Private to "Geistes": -.

"Geiste" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV  ·  "Geistes" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Geiste ← egiste · geiset · geisste · geistte · geitse · gesite · ggeiste · gieste
  • Geistes ← egistes · geisets · geisstes · geistess · geistse · geisttes · geitses · gesites

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Geiste" and "Geistes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡaɪ̯stə] versus [ˈɡaɪ̯stəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Geiste" vs "Geistes" - which ranks higher?
"Geistes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,029 in our German list, against #18,259 for "Geiste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Geiste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Geistes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,804,219 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Geiste" and "Geistes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "geis vs Geiste". 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 #1,804,219 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list