gelbevsGelübdeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gelbe is a adjective, Gelübde is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gelbe” is an adjective and “Gelübde” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,990
“gelbe” frequency rank
#28,215
“Gelübde” frequency rank
33205
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gelbe Gelübde
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs gelb Versprechen, meist gegenüber Gott

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
gelbe
7 ch
Gelübde

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gelbe is [ˈɡɛlbə] while Gelübde is [ɡəˈlʏpdə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33205, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gelbe is recorded at frequency rank #4,990, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡɛlbə]. Gelübde is at rank #28,215, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈlʏpdə].

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 33205, this pair ranks #1,691,008 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gelbe vs Gelübde

Shared letters: begl. Private to "gelbe": -. Private to "Gelübde": .

"gelbe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Gelübde" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gelbeeglbe · geble · gelbbe · geleb · gellbe · ggelbe · glebe

Frequency comparison

gelbe#4,990
Gelübde#28,215

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gelbe" and "Gelübde" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gelbe" is an adjective and "Gelübde" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gelbe" or "Gelübde"?
"gelbe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,990 in our German list, against #28,215 for "Gelübde". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gelbe vs Gelübde

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “gelbe”; for a noun, it's “Gelübde”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gelbe” 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