gelähmtvsgeräumtWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#21,615
“gelähmt” frequency rank
#12,722
“geräumt” frequency rank
34337
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
gelähmt
7 ch
geräumt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gelähmt is [ɡəˈlɛːmt] while geräumt is [ɡəˈʁɔɪ̯mt]. 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 34337, 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]. geräumt is at rank #12,722, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈʁɔɪ̯mt].

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 34337, this pair ranks #1,665,622 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gelähmt vs geräumt

Shared letters: egmtä. Private to "gelähmt": hl. Private to "geräumt": ru.

"gelähmt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC  ·  "geräumt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC

Frequency comparison

gelähmt#21,615
geräumt#12,722

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gelähmt" and "geräumt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gelähmt" is an adjective and "geräumt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gelähmt" or "geräumt"?
"geräumt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,722 in our German list, against #21,615 for "gelähmt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gelähmt vs geräumt

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 “geräumt”.
  • 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