gelegtvsgesagtConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#2,060
“gelegt” frequency rank
#329
“gesagt” frequency rank
2389
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gelegt gesagt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs legen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs sagen

Where the eye mixes gelegt and gesagt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
gelegt
6 ch
gesagt

Look-alike desk: gelegt vs gesagt

A purely visual mix-up. gelegt ([ɡəˈleːkt]) and gesagt ([ɡəˈzaːkt]) 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 2389, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gelegt is recorded at frequency rank #2,060, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈleːkt]. gesagt is at rank #329, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈzaːkt].

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 2389, this pair ranks #2,002,465 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gelegt vs gesagt

Shared letters: egt. Private to "gelegt": l. Private to "gesagt": as.

"gelegt" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "gesagt" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gelegteglegt · geelgt · geleggt · gelegtt · geletg · gelget · gellegt · ggelegt
  • gesagtegsagt · geasgt · gesaggt · gesagtt · gesatg · gesgat · gessagt · ggesagt

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "gelegt" for "gesagt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈleːkt] versus [ɡəˈzaːkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "gelegt" or "gesagt" show up more?
"gesagt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #329 in our German list, against #2,060 for "gelegt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "gelegt" and "gesagt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "gelegt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "gesagt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #2,002,465 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "gelegt" and "gesagt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "geleakt vs gelegt". 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 #2,002,465 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