gelähmtvsgewähltWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#21,615
“gelähmt” frequency rank
#1,036
“gewählt” frequency rank
22651
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
gelähmt
7 ch
gewählt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gelähmt is [ɡəˈlɛːmt] while gewählt is [ɡəˈvɛːlt]. 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 22651, 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]. gewählt is at rank #1,036, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈvɛːlt].

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 22651, this pair ranks #1,871,481 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gelähmt vs gewählt

Shared letters: eghltä. Private to "gelähmt": m. Private to "gewählt": w.

"gelähmt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC  ·  "gewählt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC

Frequency comparison

gelähmt#21,615
gewählt#1,036

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gelähmt" and "gewählt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gelähmt" is an adjective and "gewählt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gelähmt" or "gewählt"?
"gewählt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,036 in our German list, against #21,615 for "gelähmt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering gelähmt vs gewählt

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 “gewählt”.
  • 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