Which to use
“gelähmt” is an adjective and “gemäht” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,615
- “gelähmt” frequency rank
- #47,435
- “gemäht” frequency rank
- 69050
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gelähmt | gemäht |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an einer Lähmung leidend; unfähig, bestimmte Muskeln zu bewegen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs mähen |
Where the eye mixes gelähmt and gemäht
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. gelähmt runs 7 letters (CVCVCCC) against gemäht's 6 (CVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses gelähmt with gemäht
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gelähmt is [ɡəˈlɛːmt] while gemäht is [ɡəˈmɛːt]. 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 69050, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gelähmt is recorded at frequency rank #21,615, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈlɛːmt]. gemäht is at rank #47,435, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈmɛːt].
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 69050, this pair ranks #488,617 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of gelähmt vs gemäht
Shared letters: eghmtä. Private to "gelähmt": l. Private to "gemäht": -.
"gelähmt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC · "gemäht" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gelähmt" and "gemäht" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gelähmt" or "gemäht"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "gelähmt" and "gemäht" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "gelähmt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gemäht" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #488,617 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gelähmt" and "gemäht" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gemäht vs gemixt". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #488,617 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.