Which to use
“gelaufen” and “gerufen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,894
- “gelaufen” frequency rank
- #3,816
- “gerufen” frequency rank
- 6710
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gelaufen | gerufen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs laufen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs rufen |
Where the eye mixes gelaufen and gerufen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. gelaufen runs 8 letters (CVCVVCVC) against gerufen's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses gelaufen with gerufen
A purely visual mix-up. gelaufen ([ɡəˈlaʊ̯fn̩]) and gerufen ([ɡəˈʁuːfn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6710, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gelaufen is recorded at frequency rank #2,894, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈlaʊ̯fn̩]. gerufen is at rank #3,816, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈʁuːfn̩].
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 6710, this pair ranks #1,990,700 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gelaufen vs gerufen
Shared letters: efgnu. Private to "gelaufen": al. Private to "gerufen": r.
"gelaufen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC · "gerufen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "gelaufen" and "gerufen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "gelaufen" vs "gerufen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "gelaufen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gerufen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,990,700 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gelaufen" and "gerufen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gerufen vs gerufene". 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 #1,990,700 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.