gelähmtvsgenährtWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gelähmt is a adjective, genährt is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gelähmt” is an adjective and “genährt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#21,615
“gelähmt” frequency rank
#41,190
“genährt” frequency rank
62805
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gelähmt genährt
Definition an einer Lähmung leidend; unfähig, bestimmte Muskeln zu bewegen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs nähren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gelähmt and genährt apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
gelähmt
7 ch
genährt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gelähmt is [ɡəˈlɛːmt] while genährt is [ɡəˈnɛːɐ̯t]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62805, 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]. genährt is at rank #41,190, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈnɛːɐ̯t].

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 62805, this pair ranks #699,564 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gelähmt vs genährt

Shared letters: eghtä. Private to "gelähmt": lm. Private to "genährt": nr.

"gelähmt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC  ·  "genährt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC

Frequency comparison

gelähmt#21,615
genährt#41,190

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gelähmt" and "genährt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gelähmt" is an adjective and "genährt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gelähmt" or "genährt"?
"gelähmt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,615 in our German list, against #41,190 for "genährt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gelähmt vs genährt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “gelähmt”; for a verb, it's “genährt”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gelähmt” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list