Which to use
“gelangten” is an adjective and “gelingen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,147
- “gelangten” frequency rank
- #5,836
- “gelingen” frequency rank
- 18983
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gelangten | gelingen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gelangt | etwas erfolgreich zu Ende bringen, erfolgreich zustande kommen |
Where the eye mixes gelangten and gelingen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between gelangten and gelingen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gelangten is [ɡəˈlaŋtn̩] while gelingen is [ɡəˈlɪŋən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18983, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gelangten is recorded at frequency rank #13,147, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈlaŋtn̩]. gelingen is at rank #5,836, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈlɪŋən].
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 18983, this pair ranks #1,912,955 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gelangten vs gelingen
Shared letters: egln. Private to "gelangten": at. Private to "gelingen": i.
"gelangten" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCCVC · "gelingen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "gelangten" and "gelingen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "gelangten" or "gelingen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "gelangten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gelingen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,912,955 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gelangten" and "gelingen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gelangten vs glänzten". 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 #1,912,955 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.