GelegenheitvsGelegenheitenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“Gelegenheit” and “Gelegenheiten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,730
“Gelegenheit” frequency rank
#11,654
“Gelegenheiten” frequency rank
13384
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Gelegenheit Gelegenheiten
Definition günstige Aussicht, die im Gegensatz zu einem Risiko steht Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Gelegenheit

Where the eye mixes Gelegenheit and Gelegenheiten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. Gelegenheit runs 11 letters (CVCVCVCCVVC) against Gelegenheiten's 13 (CVCVCVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch
Gelegenheit
13 ch
Gelegenheiten

Look-alike desk: Gelegenheit vs Gelegenheiten

A purely visual mix-up. Gelegenheit ([ɡəˈleːɡn̩haɪ̯t]) and Gelegenheiten ([ɡəˈleːɡənhaɪ̯tən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Gelegenheit” sits inside “Gelegenheiten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13384, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Gelegenheit is recorded at frequency rank #1,730, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈleːɡn̩haɪ̯t]. Gelegenheiten is at rank #11,654, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈleːɡənhaɪ̯tən].

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 13384, this pair ranks #1,958,346 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Gelegenheit vs Gelegenheiten

Shared letters: eghilnt. Private to "Gelegenheit": -. Private to "Gelegenheiten": -.

"Gelegenheit" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCVCCVVC  ·  "Gelegenheiten" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Gelegenheit ← eglegenheit · geelgenheit · geleegnheit · gelegehneit · gelegenehit · gelegenheitt · gelegenheti · gelegenhheit
  • Gelegenheiten ← eglegenheiten · geelgenheiten · geleegnheiten · gelegehneiten · gelegenehiten · gelegenheietn · gelegenheitenn · gelegenheitne

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Gelegenheit" and "Gelegenheiten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈleːɡn̩haɪ̯t] versus [ɡəˈleːɡənhaɪ̯tən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Gelegenheit" vs "Gelegenheiten" - which ranks higher?
"Gelegenheit" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,730 in our German list, against #11,654 for "Gelegenheiten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Gelegenheit" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Gelegenheiten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,958,346 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Gelegenheit" and "Gelegenheiten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Gegebenheiten vs Gelegenheiten". 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 #1,958,346 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list