gelähmtvsgesäumtConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#21,615
“gelähmt” frequency rank
#40,567
“gesäumt” frequency rank
62182
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gelähmt gesäumt
Definition an einer Lähmung leidend; unfähig, bestimmte Muskeln zu bewegen mit einem Saum versehen

Where the eye mixes gelähmt and gesäumt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. gelähmt (CVCVCCC) and gesäumt (CVCVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

7 ch
gelähmt
7 ch
gesäumt

Visual trap between gelähmt and gesäumt

A purely visual mix-up. gelähmt ([ɡəˈlɛːmt]) and gesäumt ([ɡəˈzɔɪ̯mt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62182, 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]. gesäumt is at rank #40,567, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈzɔɪ̯mt].

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 62182, this pair ranks #722,250 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gelähmt vs gesäumt

Shared letters: egmtä. Private to "gelähmt": hl. Private to "gesäumt": su.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "gelähmt" and "gesäumt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈlɛːmt] versus [ɡəˈzɔɪ̯mt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "gelähmt" vs "gesäumt" - which ranks higher?
"gelähmt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,615 in our German list, against #40,567 for "gesäumt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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 "gesäumt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #722,250 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "gelähmt" and "gesäumt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gesaugt vs gesäumt". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #722,250 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