Which to use
“gelangen” and “gelaufen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,191
- “gelangen” frequency rank
- #2,894
- “gelaufen” frequency rank
- 6085
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gelangen | gelaufen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Ziel erreichen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs laufen |
Where the eye mixes gelangen and gelaufen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses gelangen with gelaufen
A purely visual mix-up. gelangen ([ɡəˈlaŋən]) and gelaufen ([ɡəˈlaʊ̯fn̩]) 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 6085, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gelangen is recorded at frequency rank #3,191, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈlaŋən]. gelaufen is at rank #2,894, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈlaʊ̯fn̩].
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 6085, this pair ranks #1,992,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gelangen vs gelaufen
Shared letters: aegln. Private to "gelangen": -. Private to "gelaufen": fu.
"gelangen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "gelaufen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "gelangen" for "gelaufen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "gelangen" vs "gelaufen" - which ranks higher?
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 "gelangen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gelaufen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,992,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gelangen" and "gelaufen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gegangene vs gelangen". 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 #1,992,769 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.