Which to use
“gelang” is a verb and “gelangte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,152
- “gelang” frequency rank
- #9,913
- “gelangte” frequency rank
- 12065
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gelang | gelangte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs gelingen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gelangt |
Where the eye mixes gelang and gelangte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. gelang runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against gelangte's 8 (CVCVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses gelang with gelangte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gelang is [ɡəˈlaŋ] while gelangte is [ɡəˈlaŋtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “gelang” sits inside “gelangte”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12065, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gelang is recorded at frequency rank #2,152, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈlaŋ]. gelangte is at rank #9,913, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈlaŋtə].
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 12065, this pair ranks #1,966,378 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gelang vs gelangte
Shared letters: aegln. Private to "gelang": -. Private to "gelangte": t.
"gelang" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "gelangte" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gelang" and "gelangte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gelang" or "gelangte"?
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 "gelang" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gelangte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,966,378 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gelang" and "gelangte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gelangte vs gewagte". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,966,378 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.