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 eye mixes gelähmt and genährt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. gelähmt and genährt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses gelähmt with genährt
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "gelähmt" and "genährt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "gelähmt" or "genährt" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "gelähmt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "genährt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #699,564 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gelähmt" and "genährt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "genähert vs genährt". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #699,564 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.